Run
by DCSR392
Summary: Shinichi and Ran run into each other in a case two years after the Organization was destroyed, the same two years they haven't been on speaking terms. But was the Organization truly gone? An accidental discovery sets them both on a dangerous chase in the forest of Nagano, where old arguments and hidden feelings might resurface. ShinRan. Hope you like!
1. 0: Prologue: Ashes

Disclaimer: Shinichi and Ran and all other characters to appear in this story are the property of Aoyama Gosho and his incredibly precious little grey cells. I think I can play with them, though. A little…

A/N: At long last, it's here! I wanted to nearly finish writing it (or at least halfway, as I am now) before posting, just in case I didn't finish it. I would have hated myself if I let you guys hanging. Be warned, this is a drama/angst/romance fic, and it's going to be frustrating sometimes. If you've read Love stories, however, you can probably guess how this is going to end. And before I forget, the T rating is due to some swearing words here and there, but you never know if something citrusy-flavoured could happen in the future. Hope you enjoy it!

* * *

 _ **Run**_

 **Prologue**

 _Ashes_

* * *

She needed a minute. She needed time to freeze, so she could breathe, so she could feel the oxygen entering her lungs again. She needed to feel it flowing through her arteries and veins, to feel it permeating every cell, every bit of interstitial space between them. She needed her heart to beat once more, needed to feel alive, since she believed she could already be dead with just one blow, with just _those_ three words he had uttered.

Maybe she hadn't heard right? Maybe he had been kidding?

"You were Conan?" Ran asked, taken aback, not wanting to believe.

"I'm sorry. I know I should hav−"

"You've been lying to me all this time?" she interrupted him, her temper building like a tidal wave.

"The Organization−"

"I could have helped. I could have fought at your side that day, I could have been at your side at the hospital, and I would have supported you every day. Instead, I was crying my eyes out for you when you were right there."

"Ran, if there had been another way…"

"You've been lying to me for a whole year and now you expect me to believe that you didn't want to lie to me in the first place?"

Her voice broke, tears already welling up in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. She exhaled. She was hurt, she was mad, and she felt tricked and played, by Shinichi, of all people. Her childhood friend, her best friend, her crush, her love. Her _love_. She felt drained, and it showed in the quiet voice she mustered to ask her next question.

"Shinichi, how could you be so naïve?"

Shinichi opened his mouth to close it again after a moment. He had done everything for her and her only. She and her love and the promises had gotten him through the storm, had given him purpose, but she was so hurt she couldn't see past the lies. He wished he could find the right words to convince her.

"Ran, I didn't want to lie to you. Believe me, Conan was necessary to keep us safe. I do regret lying to you, but I had to if I wanted nothing happening to you. And I'm not naïve. The truth is that I've always believed that what we had was stronger than whatever obstacle we might find, our friendship, our relationship−"

"Don't you dare think we can be still together after this!" Ran yelled at him, crying openly now. "You've lied to me, you've used me, you've used my father, you've used everyone around you, and you don't even care about what we feel. It's just you and the Organization _you_ had to take down."

"That's not true! You of all people know that I do care about your feelings. It's the main reason why I stayed with you; because I didn't want you to be lonely. It was hard for me too, being so close to you and still lying, but your safety was more important than my feelings or my happiness. I didn't tell you anything not because I had my own agenda, but because these people were dangerous, and you and everyone who knew about them could get hurt, or killed."

"Still, you should have told me, and even more so if they wanted to kill you! I would have never told anyone about it."

"We couldn't risk it. If there was ever a slip and they heard…"

"Then we would have confronted them. And we would have won. Together," Ran retorted, not even bothering to wipe off her tears, "as the team we were supposed to be. A team that looks after one another, and that runs in the same direction when things get serious, and that fights side by side," she tried to let go of her anger, deflating, and looked at him with such a sad expression that something tore inside of him. "In the end, it's really simple, isn't it? You didn't trust me to stay silent."

"I do trust you, Ran!" he shouted when he got his voice back, wanting to get _at least_ that message across her thick skull. "I do trust you with my life, and you have my life in your hands and you know it! I just wanted to protect you, Ran," he said, imploring with his eyes. "Is it that hard to understand?"

"Are you really asking me if it is hard to understand?" Ran asked in disbelief. "How dare you? You asked me how I felt about you in Kyoto, and then we were dating, and _you_ were _my_ boyfriend, and even then you still didn't say anything. Is this the kind of trust you have in me? The kind that doesn't allow you to tell _your_ girlfriend _by choice_ what is going on in your life? You said it was a case, but it wasn't just a case. It was _the_ case. And it was _your_ life on the line. Didn't I have the right to know?"

"Ran, I…" he was speechless now; she was right on all accounts. A relationship is based on trust, on having no secrets, on two hearts, together, compromising. He had no right to be asking her to understand, even if what he did was the right course of action given the circumstances.

"Shinichi, you didn't trust me, don't deny it. You lied to me, and you made a fool out of me."

"I know I made mistakes, and it's natural I made them, because I love you. I can't think straight when you're in danger, I rush through things and climb the walls because I can't handle you getting hurt, or even the thought of you dying at their hands. I couldn't risk you, and I'm sorry for all of it. But I want to make it up to you. Give me a chance to make things right," Shinichi pleaded, approaching her to take hold of her hands.

Ran took a step back, freezing him on the spot.

"Shinichi, you don't love me," Ran uttered, with a downcast smile tugging at her lips. "I guess I could understand you hiding if you gave me some time to think about it, but it's not just that. I feel as if you took advantage of every little situation while being Conan. You got to know every little quirk of mine, every little secret, things I wasn't ready for you to see or know about, while I didn't know the _first_ thing about Conan, about _you_. When it mattered, I wasn't _your friend_ ," she hesitated a moment, her voice breaking even more "or your _girlfriend_ ; I was just the _neechan_ keeping up the charade. That is not how you love someone."

That disheartened expression of hers was killing him on the inside, breaking one time and again the tiny part of his heart that hadn't been already shattered to pieces. He could not lose her like that.

"Ran, please! Let me explain!"

"Goodbye, Shinichi," she said with finality in her tone, opening the door of the Detective Agency for him to get out.

"But Ran…"

"I'm sorry, but I can't deal with you anymore. I need time."

"You're saying that… you don't love me anymore?" Shinichi asked, voice quivering, while he felt weak in the knees.

"No," she laughed through her tears, self-deprecatingly. "Even after all of this, even if I can't feel my heart anymore, I know I do, I really do. I love you so much. That is why this hurts so badly."

"Ran…"

"Goodbye, Shinichi."

In the end, he lost. Words. Hurt. Broken voices. Tears. Hearts torn to shreds. And shreds that turned to ashes by the fire in her eyes. He pleaded silently one last time, but he saw no hope, no remedy, when looking at hers. Her heart was no more, and his along with hers, and theirs along with hers.

He walked to where she was standing, grabbed the doorknob, and closed the door of the Detective Agency behind him, setting his feet into motion right afterwards. He didn't dare look at her one last time, because he couldn't fathom it could _the last_. He hoped he could come back, someday.

Love. Love was indeed zero. Love felt like an unmovable force, as if it were the one pulling the strings behind their fate. Love, which had its own opinion, its own plan for them. Love had torn them apart, and love had not given him the chance to pick up the pieces of her heart. Still, he would not give up on her love, even if she had given up on his. He couldn't. Love must have known they were meant to be, it must have known that each other's arms were where they belonged. Love could lead them far away from the other, draw separate paths for them, and it just wouldn't matter. And even if love screamed its lungs out, cried and struggled against it, it just wouldn't matter at all. Shinichi would fight back, he would fight tooth and nail to come back. If he didn't, he wouldn't be alive. His heart needed hers to survive, together, beating as one.

Love was indeed zero, and zero was the start of every little thing.

But zero were also the worlds where love could keep them apart.

* * *

Go ahead to the next chapter! :)


	2. 1: I'm not okay

Disclaimer: Shinichi and Ran and all other characters to appear in this story are the property of Aoyama Gosho and his incredibly precious little grey cells. I think I can play with them, though. A little…

A/N: Without further ado, let's begin!

* * *

 _ **Run**_

 **Chapter 1**

 _I'm not okay_

* * *

" _Shinichi, you have to run. We're in danger."_

" _What are you saying?"_

" _You have to believe me. We have to run."_

" _Ran, what…?"_

" _Now!"_

He awoke with a start. His hand went to his chest, perhaps to make sure that his heart was still there and beating strongly, perhaps to make it stop.

"I'm okay."

He was tired of still living with fear. It had been two years… But he was more exhausted because he felt as if his life didn't have the same meaning as before.

"She's okay."

Ran… He thought about her every minute of every day, and even more since he had seen her in that case the other day. He couldn't help reaching for his phone, to open her last message, which he had received last night.

" _Are you okay?_ " he had written to her.

" _Yes_ " was her brief reply.

Without thinking, he touched the screen of his phone to light it up again. When the marathon inside his chest had calmed down and he felt he was thinking straight, he wrote down another message.

" _Sorry._ _Are you okay?_ "

He looked at his bedside clock. It read 3:47 am. He really couldn't have been expecting Ran to answer his message anytime soon. _So much for thinking straight_ , he admonished himself. She would reply when she saw it, in the morning, because she was okay. She had to be. He laid down on the bed again, trying to get rid of the ominous feeling that had accompanied him since encountering that case.

He remembered the case in which they had run into each other the other day. The police had been called to take care of the routine procedure of an accidental death at Tokyo University Hospital, in which the victim had lost his life due to internal bleeding in the middle of a petite celebration. Shinichi had decided to go along at the last minute, when Megure had called him offering this case as a distraction.

When arriving at the scene, he could have sworn he had heard her voice in the background, but he hadn't dared to hope. His mind played tricks like that sometimes. But alas, she was there. She had been the first person that he had caught sight of when entering the room. His heart had started beating wildly as if it was the first time, and it was partially true, since two long years had gone by since the last time he had properly talked to her. Of course, he had seen her briefly on the streets of Beika, but they had never exchanged anything more than a shy greeting. And seeing her now, so close… He had thought it wouldn't affect him so, but… No doubt about it. He was still damnably in love with her.

" _Hey, Ran. How are you?_ " he said while approaching her, hesitant. He didn't even know if she would allow him to touch her arm amicably. He did know, however, just by looking at her trembling lip and puffy red eyes, she had been crying before he had arrived at the scene.

" _Hi Shinichi. I'm fine. And you?_ " she replied, clutching her hands tightly.

" _Fine_."

" _Good_."

" _What are you doing here?_ "

" _Oh, just routine procedure,_ " he answered shrugging his shoulders. Then, an uncomfortable silence ensued. " _Well, I've got to…_ " he said, pointing to where Megure-keibu was standing.

" _Yeah, you should._ "

And that was that. He only had to tell his heart to calm down and his heart to stop fluttering.

The case had taken place at the Hospital, and the victim was a popular doctor called Shirezaki-sensei. He was known for his outgoing and playful demeanour, but every female patient, nurse and fellow physician who'd had the pleasure of meeting him knew he enjoyed flirting to a dangerous extent. Everyone had joked about it once or twice, but they could never have imagined that it would cost him so.

He had bled to death due to intracerebral haemorrhage, and not one of the three people that were with him at the moment of the celebration had been able to save him. These three people were a medical student, Ran, a doctor, Araide-sensei, and another doctor, Sumiko-sensei. When Shinichi arrived, however, two more individuals were also present: Sakurama-san, a relatively old member of the Hospital staff, and Nakamoto Hiroshi-kun, another medical student.

After sharing a few words with Araide-sensei, Sakurama-san came to Shinichi with his hand extended.

" _Kudo-kun, it is indeed very nice to meet you. I want to congratulate you on the fall of that damned Organization two years ago._ " Shinichi couldn't help sneaking a glance at Ran, to see how she was coping, but she seemed to be avoiding his gaze at all costs." _You did a marvellous job._ "

" _Thank you, Sakurama-san._ "

" _Do be careful, now, child,_ " he said, elaborating when he saw the confused stare Shinichi was giving him. " _Due to your line of work, I guess you have many enemies_."

" _Oh, well. I'll try to manage. Hm, if I may…_ " said Shinichi, looking for a way out of that conversation.

" _Yes, of course._ "

Something in his gut told him that there was more to this case than meets the eye. In the air of the room, he sensed the satisfaction of a murderer who was confident they would never be caught. But death by internal bleeding, when the victim had been a doctor without any known coagulopathies… Something didn't make sense. He also noticed the room was filled with a floral perfume, which he allocated to Sumiko-sensei when he asked her about her relationship with the victim. He had a nagging feeling about that perfume, as if he was missing something, as if he was letting himself be fooled.

Anticoagulant, floral perfume, jealousy… Coagulopathy, freshly-mowed grass, internal bleeding…

 _Yes, that's it!_ It all clicked. It had to be. Sumiko-sensei could have murdered his colleague by overdosing him on warfarin, an anticoagulant drug used for reducing thrombosis risk and as a rodenticide. Even if he now knew that, he didn't have a clue about how or why she had done it. He knew who and what he had to ask now, and he just hoped for the best.

" _Ran, can I talk to you for a second?_ " he began, grabbing her by the elbow and taking her away from the others. He did not give her time to think that he wanted to talk about the elephant in the room; it wasn't the moment. " _I think this was no accident. I think Sumiko-sensei murdered him. Was there any feud between them?_ "

" _Shinichi,"_ Ran began, when she recovered from the moment, sighing to calm her nerves. _"it can't be. I know Sumiko-sensei, and she couldn't have hurt a soul. They had been dating, yes, but he found someone new and they fought, but I don't think she could do this_." She was trying to look into his eyes while talking to him, but she found herself unable to hold his gaze.

" _And what about her strong perfume?_ "

" _I think she began using it just after that, three months ago or so_."

That statement had almost confirmed his deduction, although the knowing smirk he used to show after figuring out a case did not come off completely. He turned to the others and demanded silence, while Ran returned to Araide-sensei's side. She still couldn't look at Shinichi.

" _Megure-keibu, I know that the tragic death of Shirazaki-sensei is not an accident but a very well-planned murder. Sumiko-sensei, my deduction is that you poisoned Shirezaki-sensei with warfarin._ "

" _How dare you? Do you have any evidence to support that?_ " she asked, outraged.

" _Why are you wearing that bandage on your wrist?_ " Shinichi replied with a question of his own.

" _I… I cut myself, that's it._ "

Sumiko-sensei had become flustered and nervous. She was no longer confident.

" _Would you care to show us that cut?_ " asked Shinichi politely, offering his hand.

" _No, I don't have to show you anything_ ," she said, holding her right wrist with her left hand.

" _Please, do it, Sumiko-sensei_ ," Megure-keibu demanded.

She had indeed been caught, and that frustration became apparent on her features.

" _You don't need to see it. And you will find it, the warfarin. I have the pills in my car. How did you know it was me?_ " she asked, glancing at Shinichi dejectedly.

" _Because of your floral perfume._ " Shinichi explained" _Warfarin is tasteless and odourless, but it is a derivate of dicoumarol and coumarin, both anticoagulants found in the "sweet" clover, and the latter responsible for the smell of freshly-mown grass. It got me thinking that maybe you used that perfume in case warfarin was not as odourless as it is thought. Your floral perfume stuck in my mind as something out of the ordinary."_

" _Damn that subconscious of mine. But, you know,_ " she said, with a content sigh " _it's not my fault he died. It's his. He was a player, he had no remorse for what he did. He deserved to die. And I wanted his death to be slow, subtle, painful. I wanted him to see, to understand, that nobody could do anything to save him when he died._ "

The murderer was crying now. Shinichi felt that whereas exposing his reasoning had been no difficult task, listening to her motivation had been pure torture.

" _And you_ ," Sumiko-sensei yelled, in tears, pointing her finger at Ran " _you and every other woman wanted to take him from me._ "

Something shifted within Shinichi, and his body moved on its own accord to stand between Sumiko-sensei and Ran. He didn't extend his arm to the side, as he had done several times in their younger years, but it made him feel better to know that Sumiko-sensei would have to go over his dead body to get to Ran.

" _But Sumiko-sensei, I'd never_ …" pleaded Ran, peeking at her above Shinichi's shoulder.

" _Your innocent act was just a foul play to get him, so I killed him. Nobody could have him but me. And I'll kill Araide-sensei, and I'll kill you next–_ "

" _How do you intend to kill me?_ " Araide-sensei asked, furrowing his brow.

" _Ah! That is indeed the question, isn't it?_ _I believe, sensei, you have already been murdered_." Sumiko-san replied, with a sly smirk.

In a movement that no one had been expecting, she grabbed a knife from the table and aimed at Araide-sensei, cutting his wrist. Blood spattered every way, as Araide-sensei pressed his thumb on the cut without much luck.

Shinichi then sprang into action, apprehending Sumiko-sensei by her arms and reducing her. It was Ran, nevertheless, who rushed out of the room to find vitamin K, the known antidote for the effects of warfarin. Ran administered it to Araide-sensei, and waited for the effects to take place while she held him so that he could sit upright.

Megure-keibu forcefully grabbed Sumiko-sensei, and Ran couldn't take her eyes from Araide-sensei. She was visibly shaken, and seeing Araide-sensei whispering reassuring words in her ear had almost robbed Shinichi of his heart. He wouldn't be able to feel anything, if not for Ran nodding absent-mindedly to every word Araide-san said. It was cruel on his part to hope that this exchange hadn't meant anything, but he did, because he could not _not hope_.

Shinichi had to leave. Something must have shown on his face because he could have sworn, then, that Nakamoto-kun had smiled at him with an air of superiority, but it was the look that Sakurama-san was giving him that sent shivers up his spine. He tried to pretend everything was okay, that his heart was not breaking anymore.

" _Well, I'll be going now, Megure-keibu_."

" _Yes, Kudo-kun, thank you for your help._ "

He was making his way to the door when he noticed someone grabbing his arm. His stomach clenched, his face draining of all colour when he saw who was keeping him from leaving. He couldn't bear the sight of her now, so he hadn't seen her move.

" _Shinichi? I want to say thank you, I guess, for today,_ " Ran began awkwardly, her gaze directed at the floor of the room.

" _Ran, you shouldn't thank me. I only solved a murder. It took Mouri Ran to save a life_ ," he offered with a smile, pain displaying in his eyes. She flushed scarlet, feeling a little prick in her heart, but didn't smile back.

" _Well, it was good to see you_ ," Ran said, still not looking at him.

" _Yeah, you too_ ," he replied.

He hesitated for a moment, wanting her to say something else, but she didn't. Maybe it wasn't the time, maybe she needed more time. He would have given anything to be able to speak to her alone, to tell her he loved her once more, but... Instead, he interpreted the silence as his cue to leave.

And still, laying on his bed now, he couldn't shake up the feeling of her hand on his arm, or the last look that Sakurama-san had directed at him.

Had it been really necessary to bring up the Organization? Two years had gone by. Everyone knew he was a hero, and the price he'd had to pay and the sacrifices he'd had to make. It was no secret that he had been living at the Mouri Detective Agency for a whole year in the guise of a seven-year-old prodigy, as it wasn't that his girlfriend had not forgiven him for the lies.

 _He must have known… And Ran was there…_

Sakurama… What a strange name. What had he been doing in the room with the others? Apparently, he had arrived later, upon hearing the screams. He had only talked with him, and just to congratulate him.

Shinichi knew that he didn't deserve any of the praisings he got. Destroying that Organization had been a nightmare, and although he was happy that he did, sometimes he found himself thinking that it hadn't been worth it. As if the lies and the hurt hadn't been enough, the boss of the Organization, Karasuma Renyia, hadn't been jailed. He had managed to escape in the midst of chaos and flames, and nobody had found him ever since. Shinichi lived now to find him, and that goal had kept his head clear in the last two years.

 _Karasuma… Organization…_ And that person… He… A feeling of dread took over him, invading his very soul. His gut was trying to tell him something his mind hadn't picked up yet. _Karasuma… Sakurama… Karasuma… Sakurama…_

"Shit! Shit, shit, shit, shit."

He was up from the bed in a flash, dialling her number while he paced desperately up and down the room.

"Pick up, pick up!" he implored.

How had he been so stupid as to not have realised this sooner? It was the simplest trick in the book!

Her presence had overwhelmed his senses, his mind counteracted. Of course, he wouldn't have realised.

"Come on, pick up! Please!"

She didn't.

"Goddammit!"

He yelled desperately, pulling at his hair while he threw his phone on the bed. He acknowledged he was trembling, very close to a hysterical fit, but he didn't even attempt to tell himself to calm down. He couldn't.

He attacked the drawers of his bedside table in search of a very well-hidden piece of paper, which was now a little torn on the edges. He picked up his phone and dialled the number written down on the note. Unlike Ran, this person did pick up.

" _Cool guy, what are you_ _?_ "

"Vermouth, _he_ has found me. I think he plans to attack, I don't know when, but−" he said rushing, desperation apparent in his voice.

" _You have to go. Go to the Nagano mountains. I'll meet you there shortly_."

"Yes, thank you."

" _If something happens to Angel, I will never forgive you_."

She hung up. _I wouldn't forgive myself either_ , he thought.

He began putting in a bag everything he thought he would need for a one-way trip to wherever felt far away enough. He doubted it was possible to go that far, but he had to try. While he zipped up the bag and hurried downstairs to his car, he looked again at the screen of his phone. She still hadn't replied to his text, so he tried her number again.

"Ran, please! Don't do this to me!"

No luck.

He stopped short. Leaving the bag on the floor, he returned to his room to grab his gun and something else he had stored on his bedside table. He didn't think he would make any use of it, but he couldn't leave _that_ behind.

Going down again in a rush, he didn't waste another minute to jump in the driver's seat of his car. He started the car and pressed the gas pedal, knowing by heart the route. He didn't bother to stop at red traffic lights.

When he arrived at the second floor of the Detective Agency of Mouri Kogoro, he started pounding on the door, but nobody came to answer him. He tried the doorknob, and his blood froze when he saw that the door was not locked. He went inside, to her room, and took a second to recover his breathing when he saw her there, sleeping peacefully, not aware that her world would also come crumbling down in a few seconds.

He approached her, and began shaking her shoulder a little, careful.

"Ran, Ran, please. You have to wake up. We're in danger, Ran."

She only hummed in response while turning to face him in her sleep. His mind begged him to stop to admire how innocent she looked, but his anxious heart couldn't take it anymore.

"Ran, please. We have to go. The Black Organization is back. They've found me…"

She moved, and her hand came up to rub her eye from the sleep.

"Shin… Shinichi?" she asked with a sleep-laden voice. "What are you doing here?"

As if the question had made her realise how bizarre the situation was, her eyes opened wide.

"Just what do you think you're doing here?"

"Ran, just grab your things. We have to run."

* * *

Was it any good? I don't know what gave me the idea to write this fic, but I do know that when I was writing this first chapter, the glorious Celine Dion dropped her song called _Ashes_ (from _Deadpool 2_ soundtrack) and I just saw the light. Such a powerful song, and such a fitting song for this couple. It really inspired me to try my hand at this, and I hope it will turn out well.

About this chapter… Well, several references to Sherlock series by BBC, I know, but I couldn't let it pass. Gosho said that Ran was the Watson to Shinichi's Sherlock, so… It had to be done. Also, I'm sorry if there are some inconsistencies in the use and effects of warfarin. I'm of medical background, but I'm not a physician, so… Do you like Ran studying to be a physician, though? I've always read fics with her being a teacher and such, but with her caring and nurturing nature, I kinda see her as a doctor too. And I know there are still some loose threads with the plot and motives of everyone, but it'll come in due time.

Finally, I feel compelled to acknowledge my boyfriend for this, because his ideas for this chapter were brilliant and helped me improve it.

I really hope that you liked it! And I hope you found it interesting and that you'll support this! Reviews and criticism are always welcome! Maybe I could interest someone in **beta-reading** this in exchange for love chocolate-chip cookies? (angel face) I'm not a native English speaker, so I would really appreciate it! Or at least tell me if there are any mistakes so that I can correct them!

See you next chapter! :)

With love,

DCSR392.


	3. 2: Trust me

Disclaimer: Shinichi and Ran and all other characters to appear in this story are the property of Aoyama Gosho and his incredibly precious little grey cells. I think I can play with them, though. A little…

A/N: Thank you very very much for your support! I'm really happy that this was well-received, and you can't imagine how excited I am to be writing this little fic and posting this new chapter. I really hope I don't disappoint you, and I hope you enjoy it as much I have :)

* * *

 _ **Run**_

 **Chapter 2**

 _Trust me_

* * *

"Ran, please, believe me! At the Hospital the other day, Sakurama-san told me to be careful. I didn't think he was up to anything at the time, but I couldn't get that out of my head tonight when I woke up from a nightmare. Sakurama is an anagram of Karasuma, the boss of the−" he told Ran in a rush, his voice full of dread, his hands moving wildly.

"Shinichi, breath." Ran interrupted him, sitting on the bed and holding his hands to grab his attention. "Karasuma was not arrested, it's true, but I doubt he would have come back seeking vengeance, and even less disguising himself as hospital staff. Sakurama-sans's one of the nicest men I've ever known."

"But Ran, he would have to be nice in order to get close to you," he tried.

Ran's face grew serious. She didn't believe him.

"Go home, Shinichi."

"Please, we have to get away. He is dangerous."

"Shinichi…"

"Okay, then, just for tonight. Just humour me. We'll hide in an inn, and if you still don't believe then, I will bring you back tomorrow afternoon."

"And what about my father? He is investigating a case in Kyoto. He comes back tomorrow."

"We'll leave a note, and we'll call when we can," he offered with a smile. "Please, Ran, you're in danger."

Ran looked at him squarely in the eyes in the darkness of her room, trying to decipher if he was lying. She knew that Shinichi's intuition was usually spot on in this kind of situations, and he certainly had no reason to make all of this up, but her mind couldn't grasp the fact that Karasuma could be back. It seemed surreal. She stared at his pleading and sad face until she couldn't take it anymore.

Taking her phone from her nightstand, she saw that Shinichi had texted her and called two times, but she had a second message in her inbox, which she had received at 4:55 am. She opened it, and the phone slid from her hands.

She was visibly shell-shocked, white as a sheet of paper. Shinichi took the phone to read the message, his heart stopping for a moment.

" _I've got you now. KR._ "

"We're going. Now." Shinichi said while looking up at her, his serious features nearly scaring her.

Ran could only nod. She put a few jeans, jumpers and t-shirts from her wardrobe into a bag, while listening to Shinichi speak with himself.

"They must have seen me get out of my house. I was so scared that I didn't even notice anyone watching me. Damn them to hell. Okay, listen," he said, addressing finally to her "I will be outside so that you can change. I need to make some calls."

He went out the room and closed the door, and Ran suddenly felt cold and lonely. His sole presence had mitigated the feeling of terror that had invaded her upon seeing that text, but now that he wasn't in the room anymore, it had returned in full force.

How come she was such a wreck? She had been faring alright until that case at the Hospital. Taking care of her father, the house, studying medicine… She liked to think she was okay, or as okay as she could be, given the circumstances. It was true that she didn't go along with her father on his cases, and that was because it hurt, as simple as that. Two years, and it _still_ hurt. She couldn't put up with the cases, since they reminded her of him, so she escaped them, so that she could avoid the pain. As for everyday life, that was another story altogether. Shinichi had been such a huge part of her life that everything she was and did had a little part of him embedded, and losing that part abruptly had made it all the more difficult to bear. It had gotten better, to the point that she could convince herself that she was _almost there_ , but it had taken one single moment for him to stumble back into her life and turn it upside down. And seeing him now, worried for her safety, had unearthed _some_ feelings that she wished she had fully let go of.

Across the door, his troubled voice interrupted her thoughts, making her realise that she didn't have any second to lose. She changed into comfortable clothes, took her jacket and phone and went out of her room.

She was tempted to smile at him, forgetting for a moment the predicament they were in, but his words made reality come crashing back in. She grabbed a piece of paper to scribble a note for her father and left it on the desk, while Shinichi finished up his conversation.

"Agasa-hakase, you have to run too. Haibara could be in danger," he marked a pause. "Yes, we're going to Nagano. I have a certain someone there who will help us." And another. "Yes, we'll call. Take care." He hung up and turned around to face her. "Ready?"

"Yes. What is waiting in Nagano?"

"A friend," he replied quickly, typing something on his phone before he clicked _Send_.

He took up her bag and opened the door of the Detective Agency, letting himself out. Ran locked the door, and together they descended the stairs.

"You know her."

"Do I?" Ran asked, curious about who she might be. He opened the door of the passenger's seat and waited for Ran to get in.

"Yeah. She was−"

The sound of glass breaking coming from the rear window of the car interrupted his speech. Both understood what the broken glass was consequence of. He heard Ran scream and hide her head with her arms, Shinichi looking at the end of the street, where a man was holding a gun pointing at them. Another shot was heard and the bullet crashed into the right side mirror, shattering the glass completely. Adrenaline kicked in, and immediately he went to the driver's seat, threw her bag in, closed the door and took off as fast as he could, almost leaving the marks of the tires on the road.

"Are you okay? Did they hit you?" asked Shinichi, sparing her just one tiny glance before looking at the road again.

The man aimed two more shots at them, missing due to the increasing distance. Ran turned in her seat to look at the Detective Agency once more, feeling as if she was leaving a part of her in that place. At that moment, she couldn't be sure if she was going to return.

"No, no, I think I'm fine," she said trying to recover her normal breathing, turning. She could only look ahead now, she had to. The quiver in her voice must have given away how anxious she was feeling, though.

"It's going to be okay, you'll see," he said, squeezing her hand for a moment to provide some warmth. Ran stared at him with confusion in her eyes, wondering why he still had the power to see through her, even if they had been apart for two long years. "You can sleep if you want, we have a four-hour trip ahead of us."

Ran nodded. Using her jacket as a blanket, she closed her eyes and breathed deeply. She didn't think it was possible to sleep, but she relaxed and, finally, getting rid of every thought, sleep found her easily.

For Shinichi, it was still hard to believe that he was driving them to Nagano. Them. Shinichi and Ran. _Ran_. He told himself to fix his eyes on the road, but every now and then he found himself staring at her. Her peaceful sleeping face was mesmerising. Then his eyes would drift to the rear-view mirror, to how the glass of the rear window was broken and the cool breeze of the dawn entered the car. It chilled his soul. He would have paid anything to be in this exact moment, except the price it had actually taken. Having the boss of the Organization on their toes… It was a far greater amount than what he was willing to give.

Even in this grave hour, having her beside him in this predicament gave him purpose, gave him courage. He just hoped he could return her safely to Beika, once this was finished. Then, Ran's phone vibrated with a text notification, making him realise that his brain was taking him on a dangerous train of thought. He stepped on the gas pedal. He would have time to think about that when they arrived at the inn.

Ran awoke when the car stopped. She rubbed her eyes to get rid of the sleepiness, and saw that dawn was already rising. Her wristwatch read 9:16 am. They got out of the car and, gazing around, a well-known forest scenery and a huge inn greeted her. She recognised where they were in an instant: the Kamaitachi inn.

They had to walk a little to arrive at the inn, since Shinichi had parked the car far away to avoid curious onlookers wondering about the broken mirror and rear window. He didn't know if he would be able to answer that truthfully.

"Somebody texted you, I think," began Shinichi, securing the hold of the two bags in his right hand.

"Ah, yes, could be." She flipped her phone open, to close it again after writing a brief reply. She didn't know what made her tell him who had texted her, but she did. "It was Nakamoto Hiroshi-kun, you know? The other student that was with us when you came to the Hospital?"

"Oh. Are you−?" Shinichi began asking, cursing himself the next second because he wasn't so sure he wanted to know the answer to that.

"No, no," she explained, waving her hand, having understood exactly what he wanted to ask. "I've hung out with him a couple of times but, I mean, I don't know. He was just worried about me."

"Then, is Araide-sensei your…?" he tried, praying that the knot in his throat would loosen a little.

"No!" she almost cried, making Shinichi jump. "He's helped me a lot these past years since I started medicine, with…" she marked a pause "everything... But he's not my boyfriend."

He sighed, actually feeling the oxygen entering his lungs once again.

"How is he, by the way, after Sumiko-san−?

"He's fine. He had to take it easy all week, but he's recovering all right."

"Okay."

"And... The friend you mentioned that was waiting for us here… Is she your−?"

"What? No!" he shivered mockingly and laughed a little.

She almost giggled too, seeing his cheerful face, and realised that it was actually scary how easy it was for them to _almost_ fall back into their old routine. She needed to come back down to earth if she didn't want to do anything she might regret afterwards.

"Then, do you… I mean, are you seeing someone?" she asked, a little shy, directing her gaze at his hands holding the main door of the inn.

"You already know the answer to that," he said, blushing, giving her one of his most genuine smiles.

She blinked and blushed to the roots of her hair when she understood what he meant. She needed to get a serious grip. Could her heart _not_ start to flutter at every little thing he said?

They halted before the information desk. Ran broke into a smile seeing that Ono Takami-san, the same landlady that had been there in their previous visit to the inn, was there to greet them.

"Good morning. Welcome to our inn. Oh, I know you, right?" the landlady asked, referring to Ran.

"Yes, I came here two years ago with my father and… And my little brother." Ran's face fell, and Shinichi was tempted to put his arms around her. He didn't think that she would react well to that, so he spoke quickly to salvage the situation and hoped that Ran could be distracted.

"We would like," he said, looking sideways at Ran "eh, two rooms, at least for one night."

"Oh, yes, of course," Takami-san said, recovering her footing after that statement, while she grabbed two keychains from the desk. "Follow me."

The three went up the stairs, and Takami-san extended her hand to two adjacent rooms.

"This will be yours for the night," she announced. "Excuse me, but how come such a nice couple as yourselves are sleeping in separate rooms?"

"Oh, no, we're not. We're not a couple. Just friends." Ran replied, with scarlet cheeks, although she sported a very serious face. That innocent comment had felt like a kick in the teeth.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I thought… Never mind. Uh, do you want the lunch to be served in your room?"

"Ahm, no, we can go down to the dining room, don't worry," said Ran.

Then Takami-san left them, and the tension between them appeared even more tangible.

"Okay, so I think we can sleep a bit for the time being," offered Shinichi, seeing how she was already making her way to her room. "Until, say, 1 pm?"

"Yes," she answered, closing the door.

Shinichi was left alone in the corridor, feeling as if his heart had cracked a little. He sighed despondently before entering his room. He had known that it had been foolish of him to entertain the idea that maybe Ran could forgive him at some point of this trip, but knowing _that_ and actually _seeing_ her cold reaction just now had been two completely different things.

He went to the bed, sitting on it with his head between his knees for a moment. _I should have never allowed myself to get my hopes up_ , he thought, while he ran a hand through his hair. What hurt the most, actually, was knowing that _this_ , her reaction, was his own damn fault. He laid down, thinking that maybe he could find comfort in knowing that Ran's room was adjacent to his, so that he would hear her if she ever needed anything… He didn't have the time to even finish that thought before he fell asleep.

Ran, for her part, didn't know what to think or feel. She should have known that this could happen. It wasn't so much about someone thinking that they were a couple, but about how _that_ made her feel. She was aware that Shinichi would always be _Shinichi_ for her, _painfully_ aware that she would always feel something towards him, whether it be anger, frustration, admiration or, even if she didn't care to admit it, love.

She shouldn't have come, she should have thought about it. But, in her defence, who could be thinking clearly enough to make a decision like that at 5 am? After reading that text from Karasuma Renya, Shinichi had given her the same feeling of security he had provided years before. And even though she had proved that she was an independent woman with no need of any knight in shining armour all her life, and even more these two years, the mention of the Black Organization still chilled her to the bone as if she were a 5-year-old.

But she knew what that meant. She knew that even if he was the safest best for her physical integrity, he would surely be the one breaking her heart to pieces, and it wouldn't take very much for it to be pierced irrevocably once more. She had picked up the pieces to mend her heart after Conan, but the frailty still remained. She truly wanted to convince herself that whatever was between them was not a thing anymore. She didn't want it to be a thing. He had broken his heart, she was over him, that's it. But she had _felt_ it. She still felt the push and pull that had always driven them together, the red thread that had always tied them together. As painful as it was admitting that to herself, there was no denying _that_.

She heard a knock on the door. Surprised, she looked at her wristwatch, which read 1:03 pm. She cursed and muffled a scream with her pillow. In the end, she hadn't gotten a wink of sleep.

"Lunch?" Shinichi asked when she opened the door.

She grunted in response and followed him without so much as a word. They went down the stairs, going into the dining room, and Shinichi stopped her by taking hold of her arm.

"Can we go to that table?" he asked, pointing at a table farther away. "I need to talk to you about something."

Once seated, they waited for a waiter to bring them two plates of miso soup.

"This afternoon," Shinichi began, breaking the uncomfortable silence they were in, "I'm going to go talk to the friend that I mentioned earlier. I've talked to her a moment before coming to your room, and we will meet in the forest. It's… It's Vermouth."

"Vermouth?" Ran nearly screamed, lowering her voice right after. "You're friends with that woman?"

"I wouldn't say friends, but… We talked about something two years ago, and she kept her word, and for that I'm thankful." Ran opened her mouth, but Shinichi was faster. "She gave me her number in case something like this happened, and she went into hiding. I didn't know she was here."

"But still… Trusting her…"

Ran didn't know that Vermouth had promised Shinichi that she would do anything in her power so that Ran wouldn't get hurt in the Organization's fall. It had been a necessary precaution, and even more so realising that Gin had almost gotten to Agasa-hakase's home to murder Ran and her father in cold-blood. Vermouth had been faster. Shinichi had never gathered the courage to tell Ran.

"It's okay. Trust me," Shinichi ended.

Ran honestly didn't know what to respond to that.

No more words were exchanged until they finished eating. Shinichi told her he was going to take a shower, and Ran agreed that it would be best if she did too. After that, Shinichi knocked on her door again. He saw that she was sprawled on the sofa, watching a rerun of Detective Samonji, and he couldn't help teasing her.

"You into detectives now?" he asked, grinning.

Mouth agape and cheeks blotched red, Ran wasted no second in replying.

"Don't flatter yourself, _tantei-san_. There was nothing on the TV, so I thought that even _this_ would distract me," she answered, pointing to the TV.

"Fair enough…" he replied, falling silent a moment after.

He looked at her from the corner of his eye, at how she was clutching her hands together while watching the episode distractedly, and the question slipped past his lips without so much as a warning.

"What are you thinking?"

She shouldn't be surprised now, should she? She knew Shinichi had always been able to see right into her soul. Ran took a moment before answering, however, sighing to gather her thoughts. She faced him squarely in the eyes and averted them right afterwards. It seemed as if she didn't want him to know _too_ much.

"You think we will be okay?"

"Ran, I promise you. We will go back to Beika when this is finished. I'm sure Vermouth knows how to handle him better than us, so she and I will think of a plan."

"Can't I come along?"

"It's better if you don't," he replied.

Ran wasn't convinced, because she knew that she could help, that she wouldn't be a nuisance. But Shinichi had the obnoxious tendency to leave her behind when it mattered the most.

"I could help, you know."

"Ran, you have to stay here, and stay safe."

"I'm not a princess that you have to protect. I can take care of myself," she retorted, temper rising.

"I know, but this is big. I can't let you get hurt. It's my fault you're in this mess, again, so it's my responsibility to get you out."

"Don't you learn from your mistakes?" Ran asked angrily. "You want me to trust you, but you don't trust me. How is that fair?"

"I do trust you with my life, Ran," Shinichi replied squaring his shoulders, hoping that she would believe that at least.

"You have a funny way of showing that," she said, voice laced with venom.

"I… It's just that I couldn't live with myself if something happened to you," he confessed finally, raking his hands through his hair in desperation while he looked at the floor of the room.

"And can you live with yourself knowing that we're in the same damn place as two years ago? That we're going to repeat Conan all over again?" she lashed out.

One little question, one final blow, this one robbing him of his breath. He lifted up his head, looking at her with open wide eyes. He couldn't take it anymore.

"I can live with you hating me," he said strictly, getting up from the sofa and going out of the room, closing the door behind him.

Ran watched him impassively, with her head held high still, as he closed the door. He had walked away from her willingly, and that had been a first. She felt the known pang in her heart and the familiar but unwelcomed prick of tears behind her eyelids. She would not cry. For the love of whoever was up there, she wouldn't give him the satisfaction. For now, she needed to find a distraction with nothing to do with detectives or mysteries or crazy organizations on the loose. And when he came back, he was going to grovel on his hands and knees.

He leaned on the door of her room to recover his breathing. Even if he felt miserable now, he really thought it was better this way. If hating his guts was what it took for her to stay put in that room, let her. And if it took her hating him for her to live, let her. He really hadn't wanted to end that conversation on a bad note, because it hurt as hell to know she was mad at him after not seeing her for two years, but he couldn't do a thing about it now. It was for her own good, for her own safety. They wanted him, not her, so she had to stay out of harm's way. He would try to apologize when he came back, and he would see from there.

He recovered his footing, a little, and walked to his car with his hands in the pockets of his trousers. He sighed loudly while getting in, and looked at his surroundings before starting the car and going away to meet Vermouth. It had been just his own goddamn luck that he hadn't seen two men hiding in the forest, waiting for him to get out.

[…]

Meanwhile, in Tokyo, a furious Mouri Kogoro paced in the Detective Agency, phone in his hands, cursing at every passing tone. He was clutching a piece of paper in his other hand so strongly that he thought it would leave a bruise. It didn't matter, though. What mattered is that the other end fucking picked up.

At last, Hattori Heiji's voice asked:

" _Mouri-no-otchan?_ "

"Kudo and my daughter have gone into hiding. That damned Organization's boss is chasing them."

" _I know._ _I'm on it._ "

* * *

Does it show that nothing would make me happier that Ran getting involved with the BO in canon and saving Shinichi's sorry ass? (angel face) Gosho, I beg you! I'm so excited for the Rum arc to see her protecting her chibi-boyfriend I can hardly wait!

I want to thank very earnestly all of you who reviewed, who clicked favourite or follow, and I dedicate this chapter and all to come to you. You reactions really kept me going, and I'm forever grateful. I wasn't sure that I could pull this off when I saw the idea in my head and began writing, so thank you very much for all the encouragement and support. Thank you! I'd love to hear your opinion on this chapter too! :)

See you next chapter!

With love,

DCSR392.


	4. 3: Promise me

Disclaimer: Shinichi and Ran and all other characters to appear in this story are the property of Aoyama Gosho and his incredibly precious little grey cells. I think I can play with them, though. A little…

A/N: Let's play a game, shall we? In this chapter, there are 3 references to Harry Potter, so if somebody spots them, please tell me and I will send cookies and love to you! :) I'd also like to give a shout out to everyone who favourited and/or followed this story, and especially to Guest (I really want to know who you are!), Xabarin, Crazyforshinichi and Nen91, because your reviews were wonderful and they made me so happy. Thank you! I really hope every one of you will enjoy this chapter as much! :)

To everyone else, thanks for stopping by! I'd love to hear from you too! Enjoy! :)

* * *

 _ **Run**_

 **Chapter 3**

 _Promise me_

* * *

After several deep breaths, Ran was not on the verge of crying anymore. She felt that she could praise herself because she had gotten a little better about that in these last years. She got up from the sofa looking for non-trivial things to do capable of distracting her, but she didn't find many in such a tiny inn room. She approached the desk and poured water in a kettle to heat it and prepare some lime blossom tea, wincing when her lips came into contact with the hot liquid.

A very small part of her could understand why Shinichi was acting like this. She knew that his desire to protect her at all costs came from a very good place in his heart, and that it was indeed the same part of him that hadn't wanted to tell her about Conan, but this sense of chivalry of his was getting ridiculous now. Maybe the next time he came through the door she should just _punch_ his lights out, and then _beat_ some sense into him.

Why was it so difficult for him to accept? They had been a team before, while growing up. All the petty thieves, they had fought together. They had solved cases and cracked riddles and mysteries together. And even when he had been Conan, she had always acted like an older sister ready to help. Why didn't he understand that she would give her life for him as blindly as he would give his for her? Why did she always have to stand on the sidelines when it mattered? Didn't he trust her to stay alive? She wanted to end this nightmare, once and for all, because it hadn't _only_ been a nightmare for _him_. She had been part of it when he was Conan, and she was part of it now that they had fled together. _Stupid suiri-otaku_ …

Ran decided that maybe some jogging would get her mind off things, because at the time she just wanted to kick something to the outer world. And if she continued thinking like that, she would be forgiving him faster than she was intending.

A knock on her door interrupted her train of thought. Not even 20 minutes had gone by since Shinichi had left but, apparently, he had come back. Well, he had better have the apology rehearsed and learned, or he would have another thing coming.

When she opened the door, she found two men dressed in black on the other side, identical smirks on their faces.

"Hi, Missy. Your boyfriend left you, huh? Ready for some fun?" asked the one on the right, holding a stun gun in his hand. The other man was pointing a handgun at her.

She looked at them for a moment, at both guns, and then returned her eyes to their faces. Her face grew serious.

"Always," she replied.

[…]

Shinichi drove for 5 minutes, arriving at a clearing in the middle of the forest of Nagano. He had followed the directions that Vermouth had told him over the phone, right after his nap in the morning. His stun-gun wristwatch read 6:59 pm, so it shouldn't be much longer until Vermouth appeared, he thought, while leaning on his car. Directing his eyes at his wristwatch again, the thought occurred to him that he didn't actually know why he was still wearing it, when it only served to remind him of one of the most awful times of his life. He supposed he had some kind of attachment to it, but he couldn't be sure.

And while he waited for her, another thought developed. How had everything come to his trusting Vermouth to escape the Boss' clutches? Two years ago he wouldn't have doubted to send her to prison, as the ruthless assassin she was. But everything had changed when she prevented Ran encountering certain death at Gin's hands. Then, he didn't have the heart to hate her as much anymore. He owed Ran's life –and his– to her, after all. So he let her go. When she went away, she left her number written down on a note. _In case of an emergency_ , she had said while dropping it on his hand. He hadn't heard about her in two years. He would have rather not given her a thought.

He had to wait 3 more minutes until a black car pulled over in the same clearing. A woman came out of the car, her blue eyes and blond hair shining in the scarlet light of the evening. She sported the same knowing smirk that she used to show years earlier, as if everything was going according to her own plan.

"Hello."

"Hello, Cool guy. Skip the pleasantries. Tell me everything you know."

Shinichi braced himself, breathing deeply, and began speaking.

"I met Ran at a case that happened at the Hospital she's studying in, and there I met a member of the staff, Sakurama-san, who congratulated me on destroying the Organization. The strange look he gave me when I left had been irking me a bit, but then I realised that Sakurama is an anagram of Karasuma. I panicked, I called you and went to find Ran, and she didn't believe me until we saw that _the_ Karasuma Renya had texted her _I've got you now_. We don't know if Sakurama-san is indeed Karasuma, but the truth is that the Boss is chasing us down."

"How is Angel?" Vermouth asked, concerned.

"Currently she is mad at me…" he replied, ruffling his hair. "We disagree on how to approach this."

"She's a strong girl."

He didn't know why, but he was reminded of Haibara telling him exactly the same thing at some point two years ago. He managed to reel in the comment that was threatening to come out of his mouth, since he didn't know where Haibara stood in Vermouth's list anymore.

"I know she is, but she wouldn't win against a gun."

Vermouth studied him, and Shinichi felt like he was sinking in the ground under her calculating gaze.

"Do you remember the Halloween party?" Vermouth asked. "She protected Sherry from _my_ gun."

"What? She did what?" Shinichi yelled, outraged. "Why didn't you tell me that?"

"It was not my place to tell," she replied simply, shrugging her shoulders.

That might be true, but the little smile she was displaying did nothing but unnerve and infuriate him. He couldn't help losing his temper a bit.

"Don't give me that. How could you? You shot your gun at her?"

"I wanted to kill Sherry, but Angel appeared out of nowhere and stood in my way. She was fine afterwards, wasn't she? She's very resourceful, she's a bright girl, and she can take care of herself, even better than you."

"Vermouth, I don't…"

"Look, when we took down the Organization, before I fled, I promised your mother that I would see to your safety. To the safety of the both of you. That's why I gave you my number. Something told me we hadn't seen the end of it. And I will die trying. I owe you both my life, and not just once."

"But I did not get Ran _not_ involved the first time for her to be involved now!" Shinichi cried.

"She is involved, whether you like it or not. Whether you want to accept it or not," Vermouth replied, her tone firm.

It was hard, but he couldn't argue with that. He opted for a change of topic, partially to spare him of having to consider that maybe he needed Ran for this more than he cared to admit.

"Anyway, I need to get rid of my car."

"You can take mine, and I'll take care of yours," she said opening her palm, inviting him to exchange their keychains.

"Have you thought about what we can do to stop him?" he asked.

"Not yet. I have a few ideas, but they will take time. We can do nothing but hide until we know where he is. I can go to Beika to investigate this Sakurama-san you mentioned. In the meantime, go to my house. It's in Amakoyama," Vermouth proposed, fishing for her keys in the left pocket of her trousers.

"You don't mind?" he asked, already opening his hand to grab them.

"No. It's better if you disappear for a while as I did. Nobody will find you there," she said while typing something on her phone. "I've just sent you the coordinates."

Shinichi took out his phone and looked at the screen, but he wasn't convinced. It all seemed too easy. He couldn't stop himself from running all the possibilities where this could go wrong in his head, and it showed in his furrowed brow.

"Don't you trust me?" she asked, a sly smirk on her face.

"I trust that you want to keep us saf–"

Suddenly, he was overcome with a sick, worried feeling in the pit of his stomach. He hadn't felt like that in a long time, so it left him a little uncertain. It was building, building, until…

 _Ran!_

Her worried face had appeared in his mind, and he knew then what it meant.

"I have to go! Ran's in danger."

He rushed to Vermouth's car, sitting in the driver's seat and stepping on the gas pedal after a second. He didn't even look back. He could just hope Ran was safe.

Vermouth, however, couldn't help smiling. This Kudo Shinichi, she thought, he was Kudo Yukiko's son alright, a passionate and dedicated young man, with an annoying tendency to head straight into danger without pondering any consequences, and it was even more recklessly so when _she_ was involved. She only hoped he would be able to see through the blindfold of love, because he needed her. He needed her desperately to make this work.

Well, she had work to do, she couldn't be wasting time thinking about stubborn detectives. Sighing, she stretched out her arms before taking his car back to Beika. This would be a long journey…

At the same time, Shinichi was already racing to the door of the inn, going up the stairs two at a time, to come to a halt before the door of her room. He looked at both ends of the corridor, and not a voice was heard, making his hair stand on end. He went silently into his room for a moment to retrieve the handgun he had left in his bag, and then made his way to her room. Bracing himself, while a feeling of dread was settling in his heart, he opened the door.

"Ran, are you o–?"

He stopped speaking when he felt the air leaving his lungs, as he was pushed backwards from his abdomen and against the other wall of the corridor, making him land on his back. His eyes widened considerably upon seeing that Ran was at the door of her room with her leg up high, a subtle expression of pain on her face. It didn't take a detective to know that she had used one of her powerful kicks on him.

"Oh my god, Shinichi!" she cried, approaching him with worried features.

"I'm okay, I'm okay. I just need to get my lungs working again," he laughed, while he rubbed his stomach with his hands to dissipate the pain.

"This is not something to joke about! I could have killed you! How come you didn't dodge it?"

"I'm sorry, but I wasn't expecting Miss Kanto Karate Champion to lunge straight at me!" he yelled at her. He inhaled to calm himself, and asked: "What happened?"

"Two men came after you left. I guess they were henchmen of Karasuma. They wanted to take me with them."

"Where are they now?"

"Out cold, and their hands are tied," Ran replied, pointing to the inside of the room where two men laid on the floor.

He didn't say anything else. He would never admit that he was speechless, since he hadn't been expecting Ran to be capable of such thing. Well, he knew she could, theoretically, but to see it with his own eyes… He got up from the floor and went into the room, looking at the both of them. Indeed, the imprints of Ran's feet and fists were on different parts of their bodies. A shiver ran up his spine when looking at the two guns that rested on the floor at their side. He got down to take hold of them, giving the handgun to Ran and keeping the stun gun for himself, as he still had his handgun with him.

He needed a moment to take it in. He could have lost her right there, he realised. If he hadn't felt Ran in danger, he wouldn't have come back to her aid as fast. Of course, her karate had prevented further damage, be it physical or emotional, but she shouldn't have needed to use it in the first place. He should have taken her with him, he should be at her side at all times. Indeed, it was Ran that Karasuma wanted, not him, or at least that was what it seemed after him presumably infiltrating the hospital and sending that text to Ran. It was just lucky that these two hadn't stood a chance against her, but maybe Ran wouldn't be so lucky the next time. He couldn't help looking at her with wonder, as if he were seeing her for the first time all over again, while he tried his hardest to refrain himself from hugging her right there.

"You're okay, right?" he asked, instead, standing, directing a worried glance at her.

"Yes, but I think I sprained my ankle a little fighting them," Ran replied sheepishly.

"Don't worry. I'll tend to it when we arrive at location," Shinichi smiled.

"Oh, we're moving?"

"Yes. We're not safe here, as you've, um, seen," he finished after a moment of hesitation, pointing to the two men lying on the floor with his foot. "Vermouth is lending us her house for a while. Take your things; I will call the police and inform Takami-san."

With everything that had happened to them in the last minutes, neither of them seemed to remember that they had ended their previous conversation at each other's throats.

[…]

After making all the necessary arrangements, both were walking to the parking lot, although Ran was limping a bit. She didn't protest, but Shinichi couldn't help sending her a worried side-glance.

"New car?" Ran asked, stopping when she saw that Shinichi opened the passenger's seat door of a black car that she didn't remember driving to the inn with.

"It's Vermouth's. The bullet holes in mine were not exactly inconspicuous, so…"

"Figures."

He also got in and started the car to drive through a ground road into the lush forest.

They braided a conversation discussing non-trivial things, like family, friends and respective jobs. Word by word, while Shinichi was driving them to Vermouth's house in Amakoyama, the old Shinichi and Ran were leisurely coming back. Ran was visibly cheerful, considering that she had been forced to leave Beika to save her life and had been attacked by two madmen just one hour before. She had also phoned her father to let him know they were okay, keeping the conversation short and to the point, since Shinichi had advised her against disclosing where they were heading, in case the phones were tapped. Kogoro had told her that he and Hattori were moving too, so Shinichi supposed that what had put that beautiful smile on her face was the feeling that this was going to be over soon.

"How is he?" Shinichi asked, referring to her father, when she hung up.

"He very much wants to kill you," she giggled, "but he wants to do it himself, and that's code for wanting the both of us to come back safe."

"He's a good old man," he smiled, looking out of the corner of his eyes at her. She was facing down, directing her gaze at her hands in her lap. "Why haven't you told him about those two?"

"I don't know. I didn't want him to worry too much, I guess."

He didn't think her reply granted any response. Returning his eyes to the road ahead, he smiled.

"And… I think we're here."

Ran also lifted her head, seeing how a beautiful cottage was appearing among the trees and vegetation. Ran was amazed that something this beautiful could lay hidden in that part of the forest. They got out of the car, Shinichi taking their two bags once more. She tried her best not to limp, but he saw right through it.

"Do you need help?" Shinichi asked, concerned, while he searched for the keys of the cottage in his pocket.

"No, no, I'll be fine," Ran replied, waving her hand.

The both of them entered the house, a little living room welcoming them. Ran was busy looking at every corner, but she heard Shinichi addressing her.

"You stay put. I'm going to search for a medicine cabinet. Be right back."

She only hummed in response, seeing him going up the stairs with their two bags. She then sat down on the comfortable brown sofa that seemed to be inviting her to do so. She had some more time to inspect the living room from there, noticing that the decorations and room were very austere, although they did give her a cosy warm feeling. Only for a minute, she allowed herself to not think about what had brought them here.

When Shinichi returned, he only smiled and approached her, offering her a painkiller and a glass of water. She muttered a quiet thank you, while he got down on one knee in front of her. He cut a section of a compression wrap, placing it behind her toes, and wrapped it around her foot, heel and ankle.

"You're actually good at this," she praised him, startled. After all, it had always been _her_ dressing _his_ wounds.

"Why the tone of surprise? I had to teach myself a few things when… you weren't there," he said, unable to hold her gaze, so he focused on the task at hand. He hadn't intended that to come across as a reprimand, it was just stating a fact, and thus he felt the need to clarify. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean anything by it."

"No, I know. Things happen," she replied nonchalantly.

No more words were exchanged until he finished his work.

"Done!" he announced, getting up and sitting with her on the sofa.

A mildly uncomfortable silence settled then between them until Ran realised that she had yet to ask how his meeting with Vermouth had gone.

"Has she thought of any plan?" she asked, and elaborated when seeing his confused expression. "Vermouth?"

"Oh, yeah. No, not really. She will go back to Beika to investigate. Maybe we could have thought of something, but I left her there…" It was his turn to elaborate now. "I felt like I needed to come back to the inn, so..."

"Why?"

"Hm," he began, a blush spreading across his cheeks. "I don't know why or how, but I guess I've always been able to feel if you were in danger, if you… If you needed me. Somehow." His hand came to scratch the back of his head, betraying his nerves.

"Wow, I didn't know that…" Ran hesitated then, looking at her hands, wondering if she should tell him that something similar had happened to her in the past. She really had nothing to lose now, did she? "But I guess I understand what you mean," she began, looking at him out of the corner of her eyes. "There were times when I felt you shouting at me, warning me about something. Maybe I was just imagining it, but…"

That honest statement, together with the soulful shy look she was giving him, made his heart skip a beat, and compelled Shinichi to disclose something he really hadn't planned on telling her anytime soon.

"In fact, it's weird but… This morning I went to your house because I had a nightmare about you telling me that we were in danger, and then I thought about Sakurama-san and, well, you know the rest."

"Really? That's something…"

She really couldn't find the words to describe something like _that_. She couldn't exactly say that it was unexpected, however. She had known that she could hear him sometimes, feel him, but she had been naïve enough to think that it was only on her part, as if it was a fickle of her imagination. It hadn't been the case, apparently. And she did not know how to feel about that piece of information, if she was honest with herself.

"You hungry?" he asked, needing to do something to distract himself. "Maybe we should eat dinner?"

"Yeah!" Ran replied, actually glad that his stomach had saved her from having to search for an answer she might not be ready for. "What are we having?" she asked, looking at how he was standing up from the sofa.

"I'll search the shelves. You stay here," Shinichi said, raising his hand upward to make her stop.

"Shinichi, my ankle's not broken, you know?" she said, standing up too. "You can't stop mothering me now."

It was right then that her ankle twisted a little, a movement that would, by all means, have sent her straight to the floor, if it hadn't been for his arms that caught her by the waist in the nick of time.

"Oh!" she cried, grabbing his arms to steady herself.

She couldn't help looking up at his handsome face. She felt his hands burning her where he was touching her waist, and a tingling sensation stemming from there to reach all the corners of her body. She felt the heat getting to her cheeks, and she was sure she was blushing as badly as he was, but she couldn't take her eyes off him. Her heart flipped, a suspicious flutter settling there just afterwards. He also couldn't do anything but stare at her, with an expression of longing she scarcely saw, one that moved something inside of her. Her brain was trying to reboot, and she realised that she needed to put some distance between them if she didn't want to do anything she might regret afterwards.

"Dinner?" she asked, breaking the moment.

"Yeah," he said, gulping, removing his hands from her waist. He even took a step back to be sure. "Sorry."

In the end, they only found some instant noodles, but it was better than nothing. They agreed that tomorrow they would have to go in search of supplies to the local supermarket.

After that, Shinichi proposed watching some TV to pass the time before going to bed. They sat on the sofa present in the living room, a considerable distance between them. They didn't find anything worth watching, so a singing contest presented by Yoko Okino would have to do to take their mind off everything that had happened to them until then.

It also gave Shinichi some time to ponder about the one thing that was bothering him since that conversation with Vermouth. It was on the tip of his tongue, it wanted to get out desperately, but he needed to think how to put that thought into words before taking the plunge. It was crucial he worded it right, so there couldn't be any more misunderstandings between them.

"Ran," he began, demanding her undivided attention by facing her. "I've been thinking about something. When these two men came to find you in the inn, it got me wondering why I had told you to stay in the inn in the first place. I guess the thought didn't occur to me, that someone could be after you instead of after me. But if that text from Karasuma and those two were anything to go by, it's becoming clear that you are his main target this time. And if that is indeed the case, I'd like to think that you would be safer with me, so we'll be joined at the hip–," he hesitated a second to process what he just said, trying to ignore the fact that he was probably as red as cherry, and he felt the need to clarify just in case. "So to speak. From now on, anyway."

Listening to that last part, even if the determination in his eyes had not vanished in the slightest, Ran couldn't help giggling softly at his slip. Nevertheless, she hoped the fluttering she felt in her heart had nothing to do with any suggestions her brain was silly enough to interpret from his words. He was still blushing profusely, but he didn't falter anymore.

"But let me make something very clear. I know it is hard to believe, but I am currently open to the idea that maybe I do need all the help I can get to destroy them once and for all. But I will not, under any circumstances whatsoever, trade you. You coming along does not, by any means, imply you charging in to save my ass. You'll come with me anywhere, but I don't want you taking any risks for me. Do you hear me?"

Shinichi sported a very serious face, and his tone was firm, so this was no time to be laughing internally either. But Ran had known him all her life, and she was beginning to see this for what it was. A compromise. Shinichi had admitted that he needed her help, finally, even if he didn't come right and say as much. Still, he didn't have any right to be asking her to behave once the shots were fired, and even more so if he would still leap into the path of a bullet for her. She opened her mouth to protest, but he was faster.

"No, don't give me that look. You can't argue now that I will take risks for you, because I will and that's how I do things. It's just that, when you're in danger, I have this teensy tendency to panic, because well… You know," he was still flushing scarlet, while pleading at her with his eyes. "So I need you to promise me something."

"What do you mean?"

"That you will obey any command I might give you at once, and without question. If I tell you to hide, you hide; if I tell you to flee, you flee; if I tell you to leave me and save yourself, you leave me and save yourself."

She didn't reply. She couldn't possibly promise him that, could she?

"Ran, promise me!"

He was looking at her eyes, demanding, imploring for her to listen to him, but what he saw left him breathless. He saw how something shifted in her gaze, as if she was looking at him in a different light. He didn't understand what it was she wanted to get across, or even if she was aware of what _that_ was herself. He could do nothing but stay frozen on the spot, observing her, drinking her in, trying to read her.

For her part, Ran was faring no better. Her heart was taking over her mind irrevocably, beating wildly in her chest, and she couldn't stop her body from moving on its own accord. She saw how he opened his mouth to draw in some air, possibly to insist on another one of the craziest ideas he had yet to deliver, and she couldn't help shortening the distance between them. She shut him up with a kiss.

* * *

And yeah… This happened. They took over, the lovebirds. Not sorry at all! I don't know if I'm able to transmit it through the writing, but this is supposed to be a roller-coaster of emotions, mostly on Ran's part, but I think you will see it more in the next chapter. But for Shinichi, he's never had things more clear in his life, he knows what he wants, and may all Heavens help him achieve it!

Did anybody spot the Harry Potter references? I couldn't help it! Such a fantastic work by JK Rowling deserves all the recognition she can get! As I said, cookies and love to everyone who can tell me where they are! :)

I'm really grateful for your opinions and reviews, because they really keep me going. I hope you have enjoyed this chapter, and that you will leave any comments or questions or whatever in the review box. I would be really grateful if you told me how this is going so that I can improve it! Thank you again for your support!

With love,

DCSR392.


	5. 4: You're alive

Disclaimer: Shinichi and Ran and all other characters to appear in this story are the property of Aoyama Gosho and his incredibly precious little grey cells. I think I can play with them, though. A little…

A/N: Thank you thank you for all your support. I'm so excited that all of you wonderful people in the fandom like this, and I'm so so grateful for your opinions and reviews! Reviews to the last chapter especially made me so happy, I love you! More rambling from me at the end but, for now, enjoy the roller-coaster :p

* * *

 _ **Run**_

 **Chapter 4**

 _You're alive_

* * *

To say that Shinichi was not expecting her to do _that_ was a huge understatement. Keyword: expecting. He had wanted that to happen, dreamt and fantasized about it for aeons and aeons, but he had definitely not been expecting that to happen for a _thousand_ years. She separated from him for a moment, seemingly startled that they had kissed, or maybe even more that _she_ had been the one instigating it. He had never seen her blush as scarlet as she had now. He didn't have time to ask anything when an invisible force pulled them together again, and they felt incapable of letting go this time. She returned with a vengeance, her lips crashing into his, his lips just as demanding, caressing hers in fervent ardour.

Shinichi felt as if the Earth and the stars could have perfectly stopped rotating around the Sun, and that it wouldn't have made any difference to him. The sky could be falling down, the ground shattering, and even if a natural disaster were to happen right now, nothing would have mattered except the moment they were in, the way she was stroking his lips with hers and the back of his head with her hands. He wanted to stretch that moment, to make it last forever. Everything revolved around them, together, with them unearthing hidden feelings and sharing broken promises. Every cell on his being, every nerve ending was focusing solely on Ran. _Ran_. Ran kissing him, and him kissing her. Everything about her unravelled right there, making him feel as if he were inside of Ran's heart and soul.

When he sensed her opening her mouth and felt her timid tongue coming out, he couldn't help the sigh that came rushing past his lips into her mouth, which elicited delicate goose bumps across her skin. His back gave way, bringing her down with him, and he found himself lying on the sofa with her atop of him. He was lost, he was so deep into the haze. He couldn't think, he couldn't even remember his own name, or what they had been discussing, or what exactly had led them here. It was just her and him underneath, feeling, fighting, releasing, finding his way back home to her heart. His hands wrapped themselves around her further to pull her even closer to him, as if he wanted them to meld into one, and started to explore her body in soft caresses, awakening a passion within her, a desperate wanting.

And it frightened her because she didn't want it to stop, she didn't want that pleasurable fog to dissipate. She wanted to let go, to shut off her brain, but a thought was gradually becoming harder and harder to ignore. The rational part of her mind was ordering her to stop. They shouldn't be doing this. To begin with, she was mad at him for the lies, and the excuses, and the broken trust. What was she thinking? _This_ had to stop _now_. And without really having any chances to win, her heart battled against her brain, just as fiercely as he was responding to her kisses, and that did nothing but muddle her thinking. But when the need to breath felt slightly superior to the need to remain trapped in his arms, she knew they had to stop.

She separated her mouth from his, making a sound, putting her hands on his chest to increase the distance. She opened her eyes then, wary, and he opened them too a second later. The tender, content and loving look he was giving her struck a chord inside of her, and it was actually painful to see how that gaze clouded with confusion as seconds went by. Her mask was on again, and thus he was unable to read her face, her emotions; he couldn't decipher if she was feeling scared, or ashamed, or shy, or angry or in between. It was just lucky that he had gotten his voice back before her.

"Ran, what…?"

"I'm sorry, Shinichi," she replied, avoiding his eyes while standing up.

"But Ran, I−" he insisted, sitting up.

"Can we please not talk about it?" she asked, a little desperate, wrapping her hands around her arms. "I'm sorry, I should go."

She left him in the living room, not even sparing him a glance, and in the rush of getting out of that room, away from his presence, it dawned on her that she didn't have any idea of where she was supposed to be sleeping. She went up the stairs, and opened the first door on the right, finding a king bed in that room. Luckily, Shinichi had left their bags in the corridor of the second floor when he had been searching for the medicine cabinet, so she didn't have to go downstairs looking for it and risk seeing his face after all of… _That_.

Honestly, what had she been thinking? Kissing him like that just because he _appeared_ to be trusting her. What was she? A love-sick teenager waiting for her prince to take a chance on her? No way. She hadn't been waiting for him to see reason, because he couldn't. He had told her clearly that he wanted her by his side to keep her safe, not to help him deal with whatever came their way. He didn't care about her feelings. It was as simple as that. And now she was angrier than ever, furious at him for all the things he had _failed_ to do during these last three years. But if she was honest with herself, she was angrier at _herself_ because she couldn't deny that she was still in love with him. And now, it had become clear as day that she was nothing but a fool that could be lured into his gaze with just a few well-chosen words.

But kissing him... That had been going too far. Such an action would do nothing but spoil everything she had worked hard on up until now. She had built a wall to protect her heart from further damage in these two years without him, she had tried her best to keep him away since the first minute he had appeared at her room that morning, and she had failed miserably. And her body, betraying her like that and actually enjoying that kiss and wanting more… She was pathetic.

She changed into her pyjamas, grabbed the sheets until she could cover her face with them, wanting the bed to swallow her. Ran tried her best to empty her brain of any thought, which proved more or less achievable after some time. But it was one thing for her mind to go blank, and it was another story altogether for her skin to _forget_ the feeling of _his_ caresses, or his lips kissing her breathless. This was going to be such a long night.

For his part, he doubted very much that he could sleep right now, so he settled for spending the night on the sofa. He didn't even bother to change out of his uncomfortable clothes. He tried to wrap his mind around what had just happened and found that he would have to sleep on it to gather his thoughts. _That_ had been most certainly _unexpected_ , but most definitely _welcomed_. He didn't want to get his hopes up, but it somehow felt as an advance, and it gave him confidence that he was doing things fine, even if one could argue that things had taken a turn for the worse, judging by her reaction.

A very tiny part of him wanted to pull out a goofy grin and yell in excitement, because he felt so unstoppable now that he was sure he could send Karasuma to the very bowels of hell with just one kick. But another part of him was confused, and another huge part was just so worried about her that he couldn't even contemplate celebrating anything. Ran would always be a mystery to him. Even if he knew he should have accepted it aeons ago, it unnerved him that Ran was still his most difficult case to crack.

Maybe she would be more amiable in the morning and they could talk about it like the two adults they were, or maybe as the two adults they had _just_ _proved_ they were. Kids really couldn't be ridden by hormones and engage in _fully-developed_ kissing sessions, could they? But then a feeling of terror invaded him, and something told him that he shouldn't be so sure about wanting to have another _resolved_ item on their list.

[…]

With the first birds chirping, Shinichi awoke, rubbing his eyes and stretching his limbs. Sleeping on the sofa had not been one of his brightest ideas, but he was feeling strangely refreshed. He thought that it may have something to do with a certain brunette sleeping on the upper floor, but he didn't want to think too much about _it_ that early in the morning. _All in due time_ , he thought to himself.

He went to the kitchen to make some coffee, and he must have made some noise because he heard some fuss on the upper floor. He waited until he heard steps going down the stairs to inhale, and then he braced himself.

"'Morning," she said simply when entering the kitchen.

"'Morning, Ran. Did you sleep w−" he started, taking his eyes off the coffee machine for a moment to look at her.

Even with whatever bracing he had done before, he had been very much unprepared to come face to face with a bed-headed-and-dressed-in-an-overly-large-t-shirt Ran. He didn't really mean to stare, and it was proving to be _too much_ for him to handle in the morning, but he couldn't take his eyes off of her. She was naturally beautiful, to begin with, so he wouldn't have minded her in that kind of attire… _If_ yesterday hadn't happened and his perception of her hadn't been inevitably changed. _This_ was overdoing it, and _it_ was pure torture. He had to gulp down thrice to get his heartbeat to a physiological rhythm, his mind out of the gutter _and_ his voice back.

"Uh, coffee," he stammered while leaving a mug before her and pouring some coffee into it. So much for coherency.

"Thanks," she said, sitting. If she had noticed the tight spot _she_ had gotten _him_ in, she never said a word.

Five minutes of silence stretched into an eternity, and Shinichi couldn't take it anymore.

"Ran, please, can we talk about it?"

"Shinichi," she replied tiredly, her head hung low. "We can't, because there's nothing to talk about."

She knew perfectly well what he was referring to, and she knew it was selfish and childish of her to not want to sort it out, because it was _crucial_ for their cohabitation that they addressed the issue before it got messier. But she had woken up knowing in her heart that she wasn't ready to confront him about it. Because accepting that something like that had happened would mean to admit, even if only to herself, that something inside of her had _indeed_ changed the night before. And she couldn't handle that, her heart couldn't take it.

"What… What do you… What are you saying?" he asked with fear in his voice.

"Nothing happened, Shinichi," she affirmed, lifting her head to try looking at him in the eyes. "It was just a moment of weakness. It won't happen again."

Even if she did know that this was not the smartest course of action if they had to work together, at the moment it was wiser to put all her barricades up again, to be angry at him, and to drive him up the walls. She could deal with an infuriated Shinichi better than she could deal with a gentler one.

"A moment of weakness, you say?" he repeated, after a second to take it in, incredulous.

"Yes. Nothing more."

"You know that's not how it felt like!" he cried, standing up and slamming both hands on the table loudly.

"Well, tough luck," Ran replied, coldness and venom lacing her words.

Shinichi took a step back, shocked, while his expression shifted to one of hurt and confusion. She couldn't look at him anymore if she didn't want her resolve to weaken. Something in her pleaded with her to come clean about her mixed feelings, to let it all out and see where they could go from there, to try if he could fix her damaged heart. Her pride, however, forced her to stand her ground. For now, it was _her_ secret, the _one_ secret of hers that she was unwilling to talk about, because she didn't fully understand it, because it was hard to accept. He had always kept _his secrets_ hidden, and this was just _one_ of hers.

It wasn't fair that he was trying to look into her soul, but it dawned on her that maybe she was pushing his limit too much, she was coming on too strong. She tried to compose herself.

"Look, Shinichi, I'm sorry I did that last night," she said from the table, keeping her eyes away from his. "I've been trying to find a way to explain it, but the truth is that I was tired, and I was scared of being in the same nightmare all over again. Then you said some things, and it seemed like you trusted me to help you with all of this, and I moved. It was just one kiss."

"But it wasn't _just_ one kiss, was it?" he asked, sitting again on his chair. "Ran, please, I know it wasn't!"

"It was! Don't look for any hidden meanings!" Shinichi was opening his mouth to protest again, but the sudden stream of her tears falling down her cheeks silenced him. "And why should I confess to anything when you didn't two years ago, when it actually mattered? Don't you see? You always got to keep your own damn secrets, and when I suspected you, you had the damn right to fool me again and again and drive me crazy. And now you want to pry into my secrets too?" she asked rhetorically, furious.

"That was the past! And don't pin _this_ on me! It was y−"

"But it's always been about you, Shinichi!" she was openly crying now, her voice quivering, but the fire in her eyes never died out. "You and your secrets, you and your feelings, you and your wants, you and your needs. Never mind what I am, what I need, or what your lies do to me. I was the one left in the dark, confused, used and abused." Ran put her head in her hands, hiding from him.

"That's not true," Shinichi said, serious, actually wounded that she could believe such a thing. "That's a lie and you know it. You have always been what mattered the most to me."

"And how has that worked out for you?" she asked, peering at him from between her fingers.

"You're alive."

Just three words, ten letters. They pierced into her very soul, shattering the floor under her, and she stared at him, mouth agape. He had done it. Just three words, ten letters, and he had destroyed what took her two strenuous years to build. She had no more barricades to protect herself, no more shields. Her crying ceased, and there was only misery, raw pain. Her angry façade cracked, and he took advantage of that to delve into her heart. After all, it had always been his.

"Give me a chance, Ran," he begged her. "When this is over, I promise I−"

"But Shinichi…" she interrupted, deflated, voice soft as a whisper. "Look at us fighting. We can't move forward. We're always on the same damn page. Even if we tried our best to rebuild something out of this, we can't. It's just ashes. There's no foundation."

Once the words were out of her mouth, she herself didn't know if she had unconsciously been referring to their previous friendship or their brief relationship as a couple. At this point, she was so wrecked that she didn't care. It was both or none for her. She guessed she could leave that for him to decide, but he, unlike her, didn't have any doubts about what he wanted her to mean.

"But there is, there _is_ ," he emphasized, holding her hands above the table and gazing at her earnestly. "I love you. And I don't care if we start from scratch. We would depart from zero, and zero is the start of all things."

Shinichi, 2. Ran, love. Just one blow, one _death_ blow, one that tore her soul into smithereens, one that sucked the oxygen out of her lungs. The strength to fight deserted her in just that one second.

"Don't. Don't ever say that again," she supplicated, her voice breaking, while she took her hands away from his warm hold.

"Why?"

"Because I might believe you, and I won't be able to pick up the pieces when you lie to me again."

She was displaying such a broken-hearted expression that he didn't have the heart to continue fighting, because he couldn't guarantee that he wouldn't lie to her if her life was on the line. He wouldn't lie to her about his feelings, but it was true that he could lie to her about everything else. Even if he could convince himself that he would be doing it for her own good, he wouldn't be able to make _her_ believe him.

He conceded defeat, at least for now. He would die trying; he wouldn't be Kudo Shinichi if he didn't. But he guessed that he could understand how she felt, that he had to give her time to heal. Raking his hands through his hear, now he only had one question left to ask.

"Do you regret it? Our kiss?"

That kiss had left her confused and angry at herself. But it had stemmed from a place deep within her, from her very soul. She had dreamt about kissing him endlessly when she was younger, and having him so near had awoken that desire from its restless sleep. So no, she couldn't lie to herself, she couldn't deny it.

No, she did not regret it, and she didn't have to think hard to find that answer in her soul. Despite how broken her heart was, despite how desperate a situation they were in, she would have given everything she possessed to let go of everything and bask in the sense of belongingness _his kiss_ had made her feel. Still, the words stuck in her throat, and she ended up not saying anything at all. She couldn't lie to him, as her brain wanted, so she continued to stare at some point in his chest, silent.

He _saw_ her inner battle, and even though no words passed her mouth, it was crystal clear in her expression how she felt about that kiss. He hadn't noticed that he had been holding his breath since he had asked that fateful question, and was actually relieved to feel that he could breathe normally again.

"Okay, okay," he said, sighing, extending a peace offering. "Let's call a truce, shall we? We do need to survive this, so we can't be choking each other to death. We have to put our differences aside and let go of the baggage, at least until this is over. I know it will be difficult, but we have to try. I promise you I won't keep secrets, that I will run everything by you, and that I won't stick my nose into yours."

She hadn't moved an inch, and he knew he had to keep pushing.

"Ran, I'm sorry about everything that has happened to us and the conflicts and the pain I've brought on to us. I'm sorry, I am, I _swear_ on my life. I'm sorry that you got the impression that I don't care about you, because I do. Your safety was my main goal, but I recognize I didn't handle things very well… And," he paused, steadying his voice so that he could pretend that his next words didn't affect him as much as they did, "if you don't think you can ever forgive me after this is finished, I'll be out of your hair again. Agreed?"

He held out his hand for a handshake and looked at her intently. That was his arsenal, everything he could offer her at the moment. She could tell that he was as exhausted as she was from all the fighting, the anger, and keeping up the charade. She didn't actually agree with everything he had said, however. That last part had been a little too much for her to accept. He couldn't really expect her to let him go after realising _she_ hadn't let go of him completely in these two years, even if she hadn't fully forgiven him yet and sometimes felt like strangling him for every bad decision he had ever made. Her heart wanted to give them another shot at this, albeit she needed to let go of all the pain his deceit had caused her. But telling him so would start another fruitless and loud discussion about what she wanted from him, but she _herself_ didn't even know, and that was an argument she wasn't ready nor had the energy for. It was, perhaps, more sensible to agree to his terms and, when the time came, let everything fall back into place.

Ran extended her hand and grabbed his, shaking it, while trying her hardest to ignore the tingling sensation that travelled up her arm.

"Agreed."

Shinichi hadn't been expecting her to agree to everything, or rather, he hadn't _wanted_ her to agree to everything, and some shadow must have crossed his eyes after that handshake, because she furrowed her brow in confusion. But Ran didn't think she should ask about it. She could wait until their life was no longer in danger, and she hoped she would have battled her inner demons by that time so that they could speak properly.

"Can you, um, promise something else?" he asked, hesitant, removing his hand.

"What?"

"No more crying? Please? I really hate it when you cry."

He was lightly teasing her, of course. He did know that was one of the things that made Ran _Ran_ , so he couldn't really be asking that of her. She locked eyes with him, and his wistful smiling eyes told her he maybe hadn't been joking at all in the first place. It reminded her of Conan-kun, who always tried to distract her from thinking too much about Shinichi by saying something that would make her laugh. A chuckle escaped her while she wiped off her tears, and then a little smile tugged at the corners of her lips. There they were.

[…]

Meanwhile, a man in his forties was knocking on the door of the Detective Agency, and decided to enter when hearing the loud voices of two worried detectives. They didn't even notice that there was someone at the door, watching them with a curious face.

"I'm telling you! We have to go tell Megure-keibu!" yelled Mouri Korogo, standing while leaning forward with his hands flat on the desk.

"No! We can't tell anyone! The Police don't know how to handle this kind of situation!" Hattori Heiji cried as loudly, on the other side of the desk.

"But the more people involved, the more people fighting against this Karasuma character, and the bigger chance to win!"

"The 'more people involved'" Heiji air-quoted with his fingers "means the 'bigger chance'" he air-quoted a second time "of them finding out that we know what they're up to. We have to be silent. I didn't like it the first time, but secrets kept us safe," he finished with resolution.

"But they aren't safe now! They're on the run now!" Kogoro retorted.

"Actually, they are. For now," the man in his forties said, making Kogoro and Heiji jump out of their skin. They both seemed terrified at the prospect of someone having listened in on their apparently very-private conversation.

"Who are you?" Kogoro asked, wary.

"I'm a consultant, if you will," replied the man.

"That's crap!" Heiji barked. "You're Vermouth, aren't you?"

"Vermouth?" the _nemuri no Kogoro_ repeated, stupefied. "You're that sick woman from the first time?"

Vermouth decided to ignore that last question. She didn't need to explain a thing to them.

"How did you know?" she said, glancing at Heiji.

"Kudo told me about you writing down your number two years ago, and he texted me about this mess yesterday. I just put the pieces together," he replied.

"Yes, well. I guess I did know something like this could happen, eventually," she answered, resignation in her voice.

"And how do you know they're safe?"

Vermouth then whirled to study him, and Kogoro felt naked under Vermouth's eye. She sighed, diffusing the tension that had materialised in the room in just one second. Kogoro got the feeling that she hadn't liked that question, or rather, that she didn't want to answer.

"They are in my house, in the mountains of Amakoyama. Nobody found me there in the two years I've been hiding, and nothing will happen to them now."

"So what's the plan?" Heiji asked. "You have talked to Kudo, you must have thought of something."

"At the moment, I just wanted to go the Hospital where your daughter is studying to see what I can find."

"The Tokyo University Hospital? Why?"

"We've got a lead there. But I need your help, Detective," she said, whirling around to face Heiji. "Are you up for it?"

"Yes!" Heiji replied, smirking while flipping his cap.

"I don't understand," interrupted the older detective, bringing an air of gravity to the room. "Why are you helping them? _Tantei-bozu_ was the one to expose your Organization, right? Wouldn't you want him dead too?"

Vermouth smirked knowingly. If any of the two detectives could have been uncertain about who was before them, they didn't have any doubt anymore. Through a mask, there was only one person who could pull of that expression.

"A secret makes a woman _woman_."

* * *

You can't imagine the giddy feeling the first scene of the chapter left me. I couldn't stop laughing, honest! I love them. But then they fought (damn their pride, can't they admit they love each other already?), and here we go again. As you've read, I can't have them mad at each other for a long time... lol

And now, enter Kogoro, Heiji and Vermouth! I don't have a clue how to write them, so we'll see how that goes in the next chapter… I hope you can forgive me. And by the way, I don't feel really capable of pulling off the way Heiji talks in all other fics, and I'm sorry about that but you will have to bear with me writing him in well-spoken English. Just remember that this a ShinRan-centered fic, but they do need all the help they can get with this Karasuma character.

I hope you liked it, and that you will leave your opinions or thoughts or whatever you want in the box just below this! I'd really appreciate it if you did, because reviews are what give me the strength to continue writing. Even if you hate this, I would like to know to work harder so that you can like it. Thanks again for your support! And if you do review, **do leave me a mail or something so that I can reply and ramble and thank you properly** :) I love you!

With love,

DCSR392


	6. 5: I've never been so sure of anything

Disclaimer: Shinichi and Ran and all other characters to appear in this story are the property of Aoyama Gosho and his incredibly precious little grey cells. I think I can play with them, though. A little…

A/N: OMG, your reviews for the last chapter made me so happy! I'm so thrilled that you're enjoying this as much as I am, OMG, thank you! Shout-outs are in order: Xabarin (there's sth for you at the endnotes!), Nen91, hislips, Crazyforshinichi, justafan, Alice and litasss, I am forever indebted to you. I knew that the discussion in the last chapter was necessary, but I wasn't sure if you would think so too, so your reviews really made my day. Please, do enjoy this chapter too! It's not my best, but...

* * *

 _ **Run**_

 **Chapter 5**

 _I've never been so sure of anything in my life_

* * *

"Was it really necessary for you to disguise as my, um, well, Kazuha?" Heiji asked Vermouth, eyeing her out sceptically. Indeed, having a _very-convincing_ Kazuha walking beside him, bubblier than he had ever seen her and speaking with a plain Kanto accent, was as weird as the thought of a certain friend turning into a seven-year-old child for a _second_ time.

"Still having trouble saying it?" she asked, amused.

"Was it?" Heiji reiterated, his eyes narrowing, while he decided he would ignore her previous question.

"Not really, no," she confessed, smirking amusedly. "I just thought it could be fun!"

Of course, she wasn't going to tell him the real reason why she needed to disguise to do this job.

"It's creeping me out…" he shuddered. "Focusing on the plan… Why do I have to go talk to Araide-sensei? You knew him better, obviously, since you disguised as him for a while."

"Well, that's one of the reasons why _you_ have to go."

"Why do I get the feeling that you're not telling me everything you know?" Heiji asked, glancing suspiciously at her knowing smile.

"Because I'm not telling you everything I know."

 _Kazuha_ then smiled innocently, and proceeded to link Heiji's arm with hers while they entered the doors of the Hospital. They had to seem inconspicuous, so he let her, even though he cringed at the mere thought of Vermouth, crazy-badass-assassin-from-the-Organization Vermouth, arm in arm with him.

He pushed the thought out of his head and focused on the task at hand. _Kazuha_ gave him a pointed look, expecting him to ask for Araide-sensei and Sakurama-san at the front desk. The man at the desk didn't seem to feel up for it, and he apathetically said:

"Araide-sensei should be in his office, down this corridor and then turning left. As for Sakurama-san, how should I know? He's always walking around, wasting time. You could try the staff room but, if he's not there, I wouldn't even bother."

"Oh, I'll find him, you'll see," she beamed sweetly at the man, and even Heiji had to double-check to convince himself that the woman at his side wasn't actually Kazuha and that he should not care if she was flirting with that man. That woman was really terrifying.

"Well, see you."

Heiji squared his shoulders, readying himself, and he went down the corridor and turned left at the first intersection. He read every nameplate on every door, until he found the one he was looking for. He breathed in, knocked on the door twice, and read the name on the plate for the fifth time.

"Come in," a soft voice said from inside the room.

"Hello, Araide-sensei," Heiji offered, peering inside from the door.

"Hello. Come in. How may I help you?" Araide-sensei asked, holding his gaze until his face lighted up in recognition. "Oh, you're that detective from Osaka, right?

Araide-sensei's expression grew serious, and a shadow crossed his eyes. After all, every person in the world knew that Hattori Heiji and Kudo Shinichi were inseparable, at least after having finished with a massive organization. And everyone could also presume that Kudo Shinichi was not so highly regarded in Araide-sensei's book in light of recent events. Something told Heiji he was not going to enjoy this conversation one bit.

"Hattori Heiji."

"And to what do I owe your visit? I don't suppose you're feeling ill…"

"No, you're right," he retorted, and promptly cut to the chase. "I guess you've noticed that _Neechan_ –um, Ran-san, "he corrected himself, pausing, "has been absent since yesterday."

"Yes, I have. I haven't talked to her, though."

"She is fine, but… What do you know about what happened two years ago?"

He didn't need to specify for Araide to know what he was referring to. The tension became apparent in his shoulders. As Heiji had anticipated, _that_ was a subject Araide-sensei was not comfortable touching upon.

"I know some. Well, only what's been posted on the news, and some other details from conversations with Ran-san."

"Then you don't know half of the story."

Heiji really hadn't intended for that to come out in a low pitched serious voice, but the message had come across quite clearly. Having taken offence, Araide-sensei directed a penetrating gaze at him.

"I know that he hurt Ran-san. The situation was very much exceptional, but there were better ways to handle it."

"That was for Kudo to decide, as it was _his_ situation," his temper rising inevitably. "And you should know better, since you had some crazy woman from the same Organization disguising as you, and you had to pretend you were killed and keep silent about it." Araide-sensei faltered, and Heiji inhaled deeply to regain his composure, although he was holding on to his temper by a fragile thread. "Anyway, that's not what I'm here for. Kudo and _Neechan_ are on the run again, because the Boss of that organization is on the loose and wants to kill them–"

"What?" Araide-sensei cried, getting up from his chair.

"What I just said!" Heiji shouted at him, enraged. He had definitely lost it. "Weren't you listening?"

"Is she okay?" The good doctor asked anxiously.

"Of course she is! She's with Kudo!"

He was astonished by himself that he had somehow managed to reel in the " _ahou_ " comment that had been very eager to come out in the last second. In hindsight, he should have been very proud of himself.

"That does not guarantee that she is!"

"It does, because Kudo is the best person to be around in this kind of predicament. He has dealt with them before, remember?" Heiji explained, although he didn't think that explaining such an obviousness was necessary. In his defence, he tried his hardest to moderate the petulant note, but he wasn't successful in the slightest.

"And where are they now?"

"They're currently hiding in Nagano," Heiji answered.

He then took notice of the worried glance that the doctor was sporting, and found himself able to empathize. If one of his closest co-workers had disappeared without a trace due to some random murderer, he supposed he would be troubled too.

"We're doing everything we can to aid them, Araide-sensei," he added with a reassuring smile. "They are going to come out of this alive, I promise."

"Thank you, Hattori-kun."

"And," Heiji emphasized, "we have some kind of an inside ally, and she's very… resourceful," he smiled enigmatically, although a subtle frown was visible.

"You won't tell me who she is?"

"You would not believe it if I told you."

"So what do you need of me?" Araide-sensei asked, coming back to the business at hand.

"Kudo thought that there might be someone suspicious in this hospital, someone that could have been keeping a close watch on _Neechan_. Have you detected anything out of the ordinary?"

"No…" Araide-sensei trailed off, thinking about it. "Not that I've noticed. Ran-san has always been very outgoing and kind to everyone."

"Yeah… Well, it was a long shot. If you see something, please give me a call," Heiji said, giving him a piece of paper where he had jotted down his number.

"Will do. But, Hattori-kun... I didn't know Kudo Shinichi at all, but I knew Edogawa Conan. I know now that they're one in the same, but… After all he has had to go through, how much of Edogawa Conan still lives inside of Kudo Shinichi?"

"I think that would be better phrased the other way around," Heiji smirked. "Kudo Shinichi would give his life for _Neechan_ in a heartbeat. He is unstoppable, and he's the best _tantei_ of the Heisei era."

And it was comforting to acknowledge that he didn't have a problem whatsoever with admitting that.

"Thank you, Hattori-kun. I would hate for anything to happen to Ran-san. To them," he corrected.

"Me too, Araide-sensei. Rest assured, she's in good hands."

He went out of the door of Araide-sensei's office. He looked at both sides and was startled to see how a man in a white coat, who had been leaning on the wall near the office, smiled at him sweetly and walked away down the corridor. Heiji hadn't had time to inspect his features, but he'd had been able to read his name on his I.D. card. Nakamoto Hiroshi, third-year medical resident. It was all the better because, if he had been watching his retreating back, Heiji would have been frightened of the dangerous smirk he was displaying and the dangerous words he whispered.

"You're mine."

[…]

For her part, Vermouth had gone to the staff room in search of Sakurama-san, but the room had been empty. She went out the corridor, and there she decided to wait for a few minutes in case he could appear, while averting the eyes off of everyone that passed through that corridor. She was thinking of walking around the hospital in order to look for him when she saw a man coming her way, recognising him as her target in an instant. She waited nonchalantly in front of the staff room, standing up against the wall, and looking at the screen of her phone with a bored look, just like the young adult she was dressed as would have done in that situation.

When he walked in front of her, he sneered at her knowingly, and she couldn't stop the rage that invaded her. Her body moved of its own accord. Her hands went to his neck to try to choke him, pushing him against the other wall and entering the room with a forceful shove. She locked the door and directed a dangerous and threatening look at him, while he tried to recover his breathing and to dissipate the pain in his neck by rubbing it. He didn't seem fazed by the situation in the slightest.

"Don't you think it's too soon, darling? I barely know you!" he joked throatily, a glint of amusement in his eyes.

"Leave them alone, or else," Vermouth threatened.

"Why do you look like a high-schooler?" he asked again, ignoring her blatantly. "Have you turned the clock further back too?"

"Shut up."

"Ah. Sorry, bad manners," he laughed, extending his hand for a handshake. "Long time no see, S−" he halted when he saw how she took a gun out of her boot and pointed it at him. "Oh, careful. You don't want to hurt yourself with that," he laughed again, sitting on the table of the staff room and crossing his arms. "How have you been? Can't say I missed you, sorry."

Vermouth smirked. He wasn't going to get under her skin.

"You won't get to them, so let it go. _Your_ stupid ambition came to an end two years ago."

"I've been good, thanks. Out and about, enjoying the sun, unlike you," he replied, inspecting his nails.

"Don't beat around the bush."

"Oh, you're feisty," Sakurama-san looked up at her, leering. "It suits you better than whatever the hell you've been playing at lately."

"I've just been _playing_ my cards well, waiting for _you_ to come out of _hiding_ , because I knew you'd be back when _it_ happened. You're that predictable, little Ryoichi."

"Indeed, I've been waiting very patiently for my _Do as you please_ card, and I'm so glad you're here to see the grand finale. You're going to have a _blast_ , little Sharon," he cocked an eyebrow at her, a threatening glint in his eyes.

"You know I won't hesitate to kill you if you lay so much as a finger on them," Vermouth counteracted with a menacing air, her gun contacting with his forehead.

"Your father would be so proud," he said sardonically, feigning he was whipping a tear out of his eye.

"Yours _wouldn't_ ," she snarled, narrowing her eyes.

"I know, but I can't bring myself to care, you know? He's dead, isn't he?" he paused, and he left his seat on the table to pace around the room. Vermouth kept pointing her gun at him, following his movements. "Look, it's nothing personal. It's just that Kudo Shinichi deserves a painful and slow death after what he did to the Karasuma Project, and Mouri Ran is just collateral damage. They can't live separately, and it's goddamn disgusting, honestly, so I'm doing them a favour by killing them in one strike. Aren't I generous? I'm always giving. I do deserve a Nobel Prize just for that," Sakurama-san halted his speech, and added as if he was talking with himself. "Although I'd rather you not get in the way. I would hate for _your_ blood to spill."

"Don't you worry your little head. It won't come to that," she shrugged her shoulders, lowering her gun and putting it inside her boot once again. "You will be rotting in a cell faster than you can pull any trick up your sleeve."

Sakurama-san emitted a loud laugh, mocking her.

"Dost mine ears deceive me? You've gone soft! Where's the ruthless assassin that I loved?"

"I'm guessing it won't take much more for _her_ to hunt _you_ down," Vermouth smirked. "So you'd better keep your great illusion behind closed curtains."

"Now where would the fun in that be? You've gotta admit, though, that you like the chase," he said, smiling maliciously, returning to his seat on the table. "You still hear the call of the cold blood running through your veins, and your heart is as rotten as it was in the good old days. You could kill me now and be done with it, but you won't, because I'm still staging this little complot of mine and it would be your word against mine." Lowering his voice, he hissed. "But one day you will find their corpses, you will find your hands bathed in their blood and you'll wonder why you didn't kill me when you had the chance. Trust me, you will never see it coming, but it will be done. And when you tell the police who I am, who I've murdered and why, it will be useless, because you won't ever find a trail. And you will spend your last days following that inexistent trail like a bloodhound, lusting for my blood, until I decide to put an end to your misery."

"Ah, yes. You always had a knack for making up stories," Vermouth said resignedly, with an expression of boredom on her face. She had listened to his overactive imagination one too many times to be shocked now.

"Like an east wind, I'm going to blow all of your pretty little brains out. And no one, not even you, Sharon Vineyard, will be able to stop us."

That last bit, and specifically the pronoun _us_ , grabbed her attention. She really hadn't been expecting him to work with another person on this, but she didn't let her surprise show on her face.

"Well, let's just see who gets to pull the trigger first, shall we?"

Still standing, pretending that she still had the upper hand, Vermouth unlocked the door and went outside, closing the door after her. It was then that her façade cracked. She leaned for a moment on the wall, trying to recover her breathing. She could have run to her house in Amakoyama and back and it wouldn't have left her as exhausted as having a sole conversation with Ryoichi Karasuma. Ever since New York had happened, where an Angel had smiled upon her, she had changed, but he had not. She found Ran in New York, but he had never had an Angel smiling upon him. However, what hurt the most was knowing that he was right where it counted: she wouldn't be able to kill him unless he gave her a compelling reason to do so.

[…]

After that heart-wrenching discussion, both Shinichi and Ran didn't know how to behave around each other. Not really having anything more to say, Shinichi returned to the sofa where he had slept the previous night to watch some TV, while Ran went upstairs to her room. She thought that she could take a shower until it was time for lunch and Shinichi, after hearing the water in her bathroom running, thought he could do the same.

Thus, Shinichi went up the stairs too and picked up his bag from the corridor, opening the second door he found. Although the single bed that greeted him didn't look very comfortable, he guessed it would be better than spending a second night on that sofa. He looked for a new set of clothes in his bag and went downstairs to take that shower. His mind couldn't let go of the anguish that the conversation between them had awoken in him, and he honestly could not know where they would go from here. He only wished that the hot water and the steam could calm his anxious heart…

As for Ran, even though being in the middle of that heart-to-heart and loud argument had been one appalling ordeal −and she'd had her fair share of them−, she felt lighter now, as if a massive weight had been lifted from her shoulders. She didn't know how that had happened, but she suddenly felt that she had let go of all the hurt, the sorrow, and the anger and resentment she felt towards him had just melted away. Even her irrational fear of having her heart wrecked again by him had vanished into thin air.

In their place, a re-discovered warm feeling, which made a blush grace her cheeks and her heart flutter lightly, was making its nest in her heart. She didn't know whether it was a consequence of the proper quarrel −which had given her the chance to shout at him every little thing she had been bottling up since the night he disappeared−, or the few but significant words he had spoken from his heart, but she didn't actually care that much.

She could admit to herself now that she could find a constant factor in all his actions: her. Everything he had done, he had always done for her, even if she wouldn't have reacted as he did were she in the same situation. His love for her had been his purpose to stay as Conan, the reason why he had been so intent to come back in the first place, and now it had been the only motive why he had whisked her off on this adventure. Her, her life, her safety. Because he loved her, and he loved her with every fibre of his being. And, ever since they had clashed together the day before, his words, his looks, and his touches had done nothing but prove time and time again that he still did. She could see it now.

He had even told her he did in the midst of that discussion, and it had felt much like the first time in London. She felt that she had forced both confessions out of him, because she had appeared to be letting go and Shinichi could do nothing but try to pull the rug from under her feet because he couldn't bear to see _her_ letting go. But it served its purpose. He still loved her, and to know that he still did even after two years of being apart −the same two years she had tried to forget him− felt exactly as if the pouring rain had washed away all the hurt and dishonesty. A fuzzy feeling settled in her stomach, and she found herself smiling wide. As cheesy as it sounded, it was love. His love had brought him back to her and his love had opened up her eyes.

And love made it so much easier to forgive him. She was happy to acknowledge that she was closer to forgiving him than ever before; not there yet, but on the way. And she was _elated_ to be realising this today, because if discovered yesterday, that realisation would have scared and enraged her to no end. But today… Today, her heart was bursting at the prospect of being able to love him, someday in the near future, without anything holding her back. The problem was that she didn't actually know how to approach that topic and, even if she did, having the boss of a terrible Organization after them was not the best scenario for dropping such a bomb. _That_ could wait; she could wait. But she had another important thing to tell him, one that she could not delay any more.

Ran emerged feeling like a whole new person from that shower. After blow-drying her hair, she went down the stairs to find Shinichi. She saw his shoulders tense and smiled to herself. He was probably cringing inside because he didn't know where or how she would attack him next. He heard her coming and looked at her cautiously over the backrest of the sofa.

"Shinichi," she began, sitting at his side, trying not to chuckle at his fearful expression. "Actually, I…" she paused, studying him for a moment. "Why do I get the feeling that you're scared? I'm not going to bite, you know," she added, laughing lightly. "Anyway, I wanted to say I'm sorry too. For everything."

His mouth opened wide, and she had to reel in a loud laugh when she thought that his jaw could unhinge if he kept it agape like that for much longer. He recovered, shaking his head, and gazed at her with an astounded expression.

"Ran," he began, while his gaze shifted to a grateful and amazed one. "You don't have anything, _anything_ ," he emphasized, "to apologize for. It was all my fault."

"Well, I could have tried to be a little more understanding," she smirked slightly. "You did what you thought was right, even if I don't agree with how you managed things. Nevertheless, I should have listened to you when you wanted to talk two years ago, at least, and instead, I dragged this on, and we were miserable because of that… I'm sorry."

"Wow, Ran, I can't believe it."

For a moment, she wasn't sure if he was going to only beam radiantly at her, hold her tight enough to squeeze the air out of her lungs or cry his eyes out hopelessly, even if the three of the above would have been very out of character for him. He seemed genuinely touched by her apology.

"I don't know what to say."

This was certainly a first, him admitting he was at a loss for words. And the moment the words were out of his mouth, she couldn't resist teasing him.

"Oh, not even a Sherlock Holmes quote?"

"Hm, that makes it a little bit easier, I guess," Shinichi laughed openly, and then dropped his voice an octave to imitate the famous English detective. "There's an east wind coming all the same, such a wind as never blew on England yet. It will be cold and bitter, Watson, and a good many of us may wither before its blast. But it's God's own wind nonetheless, and a cleaner, better, stronger land will lie in the sunshine when the storm has cleared."

And so, it was her turn to be speechless. She hadn't understood a word in that uncontextualized sentence, but she _had_ _understood_ everything it implied. He had left its meaning in the open, waiting for her to interpret that sentence in the way she found herself _wanting_ to interpret it. Indeed, her heart had picked up one meaning, and it started racing uncontrollably, but her brain had chosen the other, the safer one. She didn't feel ready enough to face the first meaning, so she asked about the second.

"Do you honestly think we will live to see that?"

It registered somewhere in her mind that this was the second time she was asking him that. But everything in her had changed in one day, so she hoped fervently that, at least, his resolution hadn't.

"I've never been so sure of anything in my life," he reassured her, taking her hand to squeeze it.

He held her gaze while smirking his own trademark smirk, the one that was equal parts confidence, equal parts delight, and the one which was also _the_ one that had always made her swoon. She couldn't meet his eyes then, but her blushing smile was everything he could have asked for. Even if he felt his stomach flipping and the butterflies going crazy in it, everything up until this moment suddenly felt worthwhile.

When he let go of her hand, Ran heaved a sigh of relief. A comfortable and warm silence ensued, until her rumbling stomach betrayed her.

"Apparently, all this coming-clean business made me hungry," she laughed self-deprecatingly.

"Well, it's already 1 pm, now, so…"

"We will have to eat instant noodles again, since we haven't bought any groceries."

"Oh, yeah, well. Maybe this afternoon?"

"Yeah."

During lunch, nothing but light conversation came up. They talked about his parents, and Ran admonished him for not having found time to call them to explain the most recent events, but he just let it slide. They hadn't cared when they had abandoned their son when he was only 13 years old, he justified, so they wouldn't start caring now.

"They stayed at the end, didn't they? That's because they care," Ran said in a motherly tone.

"I guess. But some bits of having them here were a nightmare I don't want to revisit. Just thinking about it is making me sick to my stomach."

"Well, it's true that they're not always conventional, but they love you. They have their own way of showing it, and just because your father is cool and composed and your mother is, um," Ran hesitated, "a little overactive, that doesn't mean th−"

"Don't even get me started on that little stunt of hers…" he interrupted her, while groaning and hiding his face with his hands.

"Oh, please. Cut her some slack."

"Just kill me now, please," he reiterated, still hiding his face.

"She was excited for… us," she finished, a blush cropping up on her cheeks, while she directed her gaze to the table because she couldn't possibly look at him now.

"She shouldn't have called your mother to start planning our, um, wedding," he croaked out, gulping down the knot in his throat. "And even more so because she was perfectly aware that you could hate me after the Conan ordeal…"

"What?" she asked, looking up at him all of a sudden. "At the time I thought you were mad at her for merely wanting us to get married because you didn't want to in the first place."

He flushed a furious shade of red, with his mouth agape, while he grasped for the right words that would allow him to leave this conversation unharmed. Or rather, with his _dignity_ as unscathed as humanly possible. Eventually, after closing and opening his mouth three times, he came to the realisation that he had been done for from the exact moment this topic had started, and was even more horrified that he had been the one to bring that on himself.

"No, actually… No," he sighed, following the grooves of the wooden table with his gaze. "Sorry if it came out like that. I was still Conan, so I just couldn't tell you the real reason at the time," he ended with a sheepish smile.

"No, I guess you couldn't," she mumbled after a few seconds to let his words sink in.

Under her scrutinizing gaze, while trying his best not to squirm, Shinichi was wishing that the ground would swallow him whole. That had been a very tiny but crucially relevant piece of information that Ran hadn't needed to know, even under the threat of torture.

There was a reason, a very solid reason indeed, why he hadn't wanted his mother near Ran after the events happening in Kyoto. And it was the very same reason why he didn't want to tell his mother a thing about this little trip of theirs. She would take for granted that Ran had already forgiven him, and that they would have already planned their wedding and discussed where he and Ran and their future five children they were going to have were going to live. It was astonishing, but his mother could be crazy like that. Of course, his mother always had the best intention at heart, but she could rush headlong into these kinds of predicaments and, honestly, this was not the best of times to let her do just that.

The first step would be for them to survive Karasuma, and then maybe Ran could put Conan completely behind her, and _then maybe_ Shinichi could ask for a second chance formally. Actually, he guessed he could play with the order of those because, now that he thought about it, just straight asking her if she wanted to marry him while having Karasuma pointing a gun at his temple didn't seem such a bad idea. He would go to hell and back just to have a second chance with her. In a dark corner of his mind, he was aware that _daydreaming about that_ was to be avoided at all cost and that he should focus on the moment they were now in, but the message didn't quite reach his prefrontal cortex.

Ran studied him, stripping him figuratively so that she could see into his soul. Indeed, _that_ had been a bit of information she hadn't been expecting at all, had not been ready for, and it shook her ground like a shattering earthquake. Had he really entertained the idea of marrying her somewhere along the future? She flustered only at thinking about it, trying to wrap her mind around the mere idea. It didn't help matters that Shinichi was looking at her mesmerized, as if she could be one of the Seven Wonders of the World. It was a little unnerving and it made her feel embarrassed, while a tingling sensation spread from her stomach, but she supposed it was the aftermath of her having apologised, because Shinichi hadn't been expecting her to do that, and that it would eventually die down. Nonetheless, it became too much to bear when a ringing tone came from the pocket of his trousers and he still didn't react accordingly.

"Shinichi, your phone is ringing," she announced, pointing in the general direction of where his phone would be.

"What? Oh, right, sorry," Shinichi said, recovering and taking the phone out of his pocket and looking at the screen. "It's Vermouth," he told her, giving her an unsure look before picking it up. "Hello?"

" _I've discovered something at the Hospital._ "

"Okay."

" _I'll be there tomorrow at noon._ "

And thus, Vermouth hung up.

"Is she coming?" Ran asked, excited at the prospect of being closer to ending this.

"Yeah, apparently she has news," he trailed off slowly, feeling rather worried, while he lowered his phone from his ear. The warm and tender, albeit embarrassed, atmosphere that their previous conversation had created had faded away, leaving an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"Good or bad?" she questioned, furrowing her brow, feeling worried herself at seeing him deep in thought.

Indeed, that call had been rather unsettling, partly because Vermouth hadn't sounded like her usual self. He honestly couldn't be sure of what type of news she would bring.

"I don't know, Ran. I don't know."

* * *

The plot thickens! Little ShinRan in this chapter, but I think I can make up for it in the next chapter. At least you got to see my headcanon about what Yukiko will do when she sees Ran after Kyoto _and_ knows they're officially dating. Gosho, let it happen soon!

I have to confess that pairing up Araide and Heiji was weird indeed, but it served two purposes. The first: Vermouth having the chance to talk _very openly_ with Sakurama-san, which is crucial to the plot. And the second, so that Heiji could say to Araide: _"Of course she is! She is with Kudo!"_ I love the fact he is a fiercer ShinRan shipper than all of us fans combined. I love him.

And I have to confess that it broke my heart to cut out two slightly funnier come-backs of Vermouth when she was talking with Sakurama-san, but I'm posting them here so you can laugh with me. The initial idea was to have Vermouth also say _"Don't you worry your little brain. It won't come to that. You will be rotting in a cell faster than you can say Expecto Patronum."_ And at the end, she would say: _"Well, let's just see who gets to say Avada Kedavra in the end"_. If you don't find it hilarious, it's okay, I know my HP obsession can get out of hand sometimes (as you had the opportunity to read in a previous chapter lol)

And now that I mention it, the HP references in chapter 3 were "Always" (as Xabarin deduced, yay!), "Why the tone of surprise?" and "That you will obey any command I might give you at once, and without question. If I tell you to hide, you hide; if I tell you to flee, you flee; if I tell you to leave me and save yourself, you leave me and save yourself."

I'm hopelessly rambling, again, sorry! Thank you very much to each and every one of you for your support! I hope you have liked this chapter, even though the ShinRan here was scarce. I will make up for it in the next chapter, I promise. Thank you for your reviews, and do leave your opinion on this one, please! I love you!

With love,

DCSR392.


	7. 6: I would protect you

Disclaimer: Shinichi and Ran and all other characters to appear in this story are the property of Aoyama Gosho and his incredibly precious little grey cells. I think I can play with them, though. A little…

A/N: I know the last chapter was not the best, but I did promise that I was going to make up for it and here I am, delivering! =D Heavily dialogues and little to no action in this one. But I think it's kinda worth it? (If you're here for the ShinRan fluff, that is…). Just a heads up, this is my favourite chapter so far! :p

And thank you thank you thank you to Nen91, Crazyforshinichi, Xabarin, and Guest. Your reviews mean the world to me! This chapter goes to you :)

* * *

 _ **Run**_

 **Chapter 6**

 _I would protect you_

* * *

Both Shinichi and Ran were quiet after that call, each of them lost to their own thoughts. Vermouth had always pretended she had every situation under control, and so it was really disconcerting to hear her as weary as she seemed. Shinichi hoped tomorrow would come soon enough, because he knew that he could not call her back to ask for details on the phone. He prayed that, whatever news she brought, it would mean they were one step closer to ending this. He sent a fleeting glance at Ran, who was displaying the same worried face as he was, and he forced the words out of his throat, even if he didn't feel as reassured.

"I don't know what she has found, but what I do know is that we shouldn't spend too much time wondering and worrying about it. We'll deal with whatever it is tomorrow, okay?" Shinichi said, taking her hand above the table, trying to sound confident enough for her to believe him.

"I suppose you're right…" she muttered back.

"So, shall we put these away and then go to the supermarket?" he asked with a grin while grabbing their two plates, forks and glasses and taking them to the kitchen to wash them. "I'm craving healthier food than instant noodles, even if it's just bland boiled vegetables."

"Oh?" Ran wondered aloud, raising an eyebrow. "I thought you would have learnt to cook something other than boiled vegetables in these last years, what with you being a growing boy and all…" she laughed, following him suit to the kitchen.

Shinichi halted and whirled to look at her with a bewildered expression. Had that been an inside joke about Conan? A very-well concealed joke about Conan, coming from Ran, the same Ran that hated his guts because he had lied about his identity for a whole year? His mouth opened, even though he didn't dare point out what had him so baffled. He had been on his toes ever since she had apologised for being mad at him, but making jokes about Conan somehow felt like a stretch. Well, Ran had always been a box full of surprises and, quoting a certain someone, he would never be able to deduce what was on her heart. Studying her, he noticed that she seemed actually bemused that she had cracked such a joke too.

He went to the sink and ran the water, deciding to _further_ make fun of himself to salvage the awkward moment they were now in.

"Well, if I had tried to cook something other than that, you would have heard all about it," he laughed, and he elaborated upon seeing her confused gaze. "' _Kudo household burnt to a crisp by a useless teenager trying to cook non-instant food_ 'would have been all over every newspaper. So no, I've just treated myself to instant ramen, noodles and boiled pasta and vegetables," Shinichi confessed, rinsing the plates and handing them to Ran.

"Lucky for you, I am well-versed in cooking," she replied with a knowing grin, drying them with a cloth.

"And a very good one at that," he grinned toothily and looked at her sideways while drying his hands with a towel. "And I'll help with whatever I can."

"Good," Ran nodded gratefully, showing a pleased smile.

Apparently, he had changed too. Before turning into Conan, he had never lifted a finger to help her cook, or wash or clean. He had even complained about her caring streak whenever she had gone to his house to cook a meal for him when he had been so absorbed in his cases he had forgotten to eat a thing. So Shinichi saying that he would help was a certainly welcome evolution.

"Let's go!" Shinichi said from the main door, startling her out of her reverie.

She approached him and took her jacket that he had been offering, putting it on while he did the same with his. At some point in their way to the car, his gaze landed on her feet.

"How's your ankle?" he felt compelled to ask.

"Fine, fine. It doesn't hurt as much as it did yesterday, thanks. You could make a great doctor someday," she teased him, half-serious half-joking.

"Oh, no. I wouldn't want to steal your spotlight," he smirked, catching on to her joke.

"There we go again," Ran sighed heavily, feigning disappointment. "The conceited and vain _meitantei_ is back, ladies and gentlemen."

"You know I'm joking, right?" he raised an eyebrow at her reaction, thinking that she might not have been joking in the first place. "You save lives, I solve their murders."

Ran laughed, and he only smiled in return. A faint " _like Holmes and Watson_ " hung unspoken between them, and both seemed to understand what was left unsaid without the need for words.

Shinichi started the car after they were seated and seatbelts fastened, and he proceeded to drive out of the lush forest where Vermouth's cabin was hidden. Their destination was the city of Omachi and so, ahead of them lay a thirty-minute car ride. Not knowing what to say, a mildly unsettling silence ensued, until Ran turned on the radio. With music to distract her, she felt she was now able to relax against her seat.

At first, she stared at the road distractedly, seeing the beautiful scenery that presented before them but not really observing it. At some point, her gaze strayed on Shinichi, and she realised with a heated blush that she couldn't take her eyes off of him. She felt as if she was discovering him all over again. She gazed at his handsome face, focused on driving, and at his piercing beautiful and bright blue eyes that flickered from point to point of the road. She stared at his perfectly-chiselled nose, his high cheeks and his pursed lips, drinking him in. With a flip of her stomach, she noticed where her gaze had landed, and then came the realisation of why the butterflies had been set free in the first place. She blushed furiously, but she couldn't avert her eyes no matter how hard she tried.

Those lips were the same lips that had kissed hers the night before with unrestrained passion, the same ones that had stroked her lips to the point of almost losing herself in his embrace. Those lips were the same lips which had sent her on a dangerously pleasurable venture, the same ones that had awakened an unredeemable wild desire within her. They were the same lips that had confessed that he still loved her, and that he would be willing to have another shot at this. Gathering all her strength to look away, she told herself to get a grip, because she really couldn't let her feelings get the best of her in the predicament they were now in. If she didn't, she would _kiss_ the living daylights out of him, which could prove slightly dangerous given the fact that he was driving. And everything that kissing him a second time would imply would come crashing down later, so she couldn't give in to the temptation. She shook her head to get rid of that thought.

She directed her gaze to his brow, which he was currently furrowing, and she could _almost_ see the wheels turning in his brain. She would have bet all her money on the fact that he was thinking about Vermouth and what she was going to tell them tomorrow. He had his two hands on the wheel, with his arms flexed and shoulders tensed. Such long, loving and arousing arms and hands… They were the same arms that had embraced her the night before as if there was no tomorrow, the same hands that had wasted no second to explore her body under curious fingers, the same hands that had spread a tantalising and exciting sensation to every part of her. A bold thought materialised in her brain, one that exhilarated and terrified her at the same time, and she had to reprimand herself for thinking of that, while she tried her hardest to bury it in the darkest corner of her mind. Glancing over his arms, her gaze rested on his wristwatch, recognising it immediately, and she found herself unable to avert her eyes nor to formulate the question that popped into her mind.

Shinichi must have been really absorbed by whatever he had been raking his brains for, because it was just then that he noticed that something on his left arm was grabbing the attention of his beautiful companion. He glanced at her once, and saw her equally lost deep in thought.

"What?" he asked with a frown, interrupting her perusing.

"No, um, sorry," she replied, recovering then. She hesitated but finally asked what was on her mind. "I was just thinking… Why do you still wear that wristwatch?"

"The Conan watch?" he repeated, wanting to make sure that was what she was asking about.

"Yes, you're back to super-star ace-kicking detective, so you don't technically need it, right?"

"Hm, I could tell you that I wear it just in case I have to 'calm down'" he air-quoted with one hand, while the other stayed on the wheel "some crazy axe murderer and because Agasa-hakase put a locator in it, but I think I would be lying," he exhaled deeply. "I don't really have an answer. I guess I'm kind of attached to it, as bizarre as it may sound. You know as well as I do that being Conan was a nightmare for what it meant for me, and I hated myself for not listening to you when you told me I could be in danger at some point, with the way I was going into cases. I loathed even more that you had to suffer over my going after Gin and Vodka, and then I just wanted to throw everything out of the window after our heated discussion, but I just…" Shinichi paused, collecting his thoughts to stop rambling. "But living with you and your father, at the moments when I was able to forget what had brought me there, I was happy. And I guess that taking off the watch would mean that I was ready to let go of that sappy feeling."

Ran didn't know what to reply. It saddened her that he hadn't been able to look at her even for a second when he was opening up like that, because through her eyes she could have comforted him in a way her words never could. It also struck her then that she had been really selfish with the Conan ordeal, because it had always been about her: how his lies had made her suffer, how she had been played by him… She might have the right to be angry at his deception, but she still hadn't given his suffering very much a thought, and that had been wrong on her part.

"I also keep the glasses for the same exact reasons," Shinichi continued, with a slight smile tugging at his lips, interrupting her thoughts. He searched in the pocket of his jacket to fish them out. "Haven't had to use them in a while now, but I thought they could serve to camouflage one foolish _tantei_ ," he laughed while putting them on.

"In spite of myself, I've got to hand it to you. It's a good disguise, Mr Clark Kent," she sighed dejectedly, her eyes avoiding his. "But let's hope you don't have to wear them anymore."

His shoulders tensed because he had definitely not been expecting her to joke _two_ times about Conan in the same day. He felt the need to look at her and see what he was able to read from her expression. She didn't seem exactly pleased, but she appeared to be sort of putting up with it. Then he relaxed, and found himself brave −and safe− enough to reply cheekily at her comment.

"Lois Lane saw through it, though," he smirked, waiting for her to turn to him, which she did with wide eyes, and then throwing a wink her way.

Ran chuckled, divided between laughing outright or beating him for making such a daring remark. The worst, however, was not being really sure whether that had been another one of his _weird_ compliments or if he was blatantly making fun of her, like he had been on multiple occasions when they were younger.

Bantering back and forth like in the old times, they finally arrived at the parking lot of a large supermarket in Omachi. Shinichi adjusted his glasses, while Ran tied her hair back in a bun that made Shinichi think of her mother. That hairdo gave Ran a more mature air about her, one that Shinichi wasn't put off by in the slightest. In all honesty, that bun did nothing but bring out her beautiful features. He had to order his brain to focus again on the mission.

"So? How much should we buy?" Ran wondered while they entered through the automatics doors.

"Not much, probably," Shinichi replied, shrugging his shoulders. "Just enough to survive for two or three days. Vermouth might come saying we need to move again, so…"

She nodded, and the two began to walk through the shelves, Shinichi pushing a shopping cart. They took some vegetables and various pieces of fruit at first, to continue on to the meat section, where they grabbed three meat trays.

At some point along the section of frozen products, Shinichi gathered his courage.

"I was thinking," he started, "after this… Maybe we could take a stroll through the forest this afternoon? When we were driving through it, it seemed it could be worth it," his forehead furrowed, and he added: "But only if you're game."

"What? Oh, yes. I could be game, but only if we can make sure that no one is following us this time. I don't fancy any other surprise visits," she snorted, looking with resignation at her bandaged ankle.

"I would protect you, you know," he grumbled in a low voice.

"Of course you would," she chuckled, rolling her eyes, while she took the cart from his hands to push it forward.

He didn't know how to take that last retort, so he let it slide. With no more words, they ventured into the bread section, where she stopped to look at the different brands of cereal, taking one and then carrying on to the next shelf.

He couldn't help smiling sincerely. As fleeting a moment as this could be, to be able to go the supermarket with Ran without a care in the world was surely gratifying. He had never bothered to do any domestic things with her before turning Conan, because they didn't seem significant enough for a great _meitantei_ like him. He had realised, while living with her and her father, that he had overlooked every little thing she did for him and, worst of all, that he had taken her for granted. And so, he had promised himself that he would not let it happen again and that he would treasure every moment with her, no matter how small or insignificant it was. This was the first time he had been actually able to keep that promise. For a moment he blocked out any thoughts of Karasuma, Sakurama-san, the Organization and Conan, and he was able to imagine how his life could change if she decided to forgive him eventually.

While in the clouds, he didn't notice that she had come to a halt in the flour section, apparently mesmerized by the flour packages on display, and he collided right into her.

"Sorry, I−"

"I know this is going to sound crazy, but," Ran said, appearing rather embarrassed. "Maybe we could bake some lemon pie?"

Shinichi nearly slipped and landed on his back, which was rather difficult since he had been standing still in the first place. He sweat-dropped unintentionally and was taken aback at seeing her sheepish but excited face.

"It does," he said, recovering his bearings. "I mean, it does sound crazy, but I'm all in for crazy apparently. Look at us, we have the Boss of a huge Organization on our tails and we're grocery shopping like−" he stopped, thinking what his next words should be, "like two regular people," he scratched his cheek with a finger, proud of himself because he had avoided treading a dangerous ground.

"But even the mightiest of heroes do need to eat to survive," she replied with a smile, not quite catching on to what he had just avoided saying.

"Yes, well. To tell you the truth, I'm not opposed at all," Shinichi beamed at last. "I couldn't refuse any of your cooking even if it costed my life."

"Hm, thanks," she blushed embarrassedly at his very obvious compliment. "Great, then!" she clasped her hands, smiling kindly at him.

"But why the crazy idea, though?"

"I don't know, really," she laughed, shrugging her shoulders. "I just saw the flour and it made me think back to that case with Asami-san," she hesitated because a daring thought crossed her mind, but she decided it was not the moment to ask _that_. She recovered quickly. "It's just for old time's sake, you know? Besides, we can't really do anything until V−Vermouth comes," she stuttered with a shy expression.

And that had been a first for her. Ran saying Vermouth's name meant she didn't fear her anymore, and that she could be considering trusting her in the near future. He smiled at her reassuringly, and she returned it through her eyelashes.

Ran seemed so happy that Shinichi was feeling elated just by looking at her; her cheerfulness was contagious. And it seemed preposterous that they could be feeling like that, and that they could be walking through a supermarket as if nothing more interesting was happening in their lives. And just for a short-lived moment, he felt something that he had not felt in three years: he felt that he was just a regular teenager with no more pressing worries but the next exam or having a fun hanging out with his childhood friend. It gave him back his life.

"You coming?" she asked, looking back at him over her shoulder. He thought that he could see a little bit of worry poke out of her happy façade, but she hid it promptly, and he was left to think that maybe he had been imagining it.

"Yes, sorry," he told her, following her to the check-out.

Bags in hand, the both of them walked back to the car and loaded it. They entered the car and, as soon as Ran hit the back of her seat, she started feeling sleepy and she drifted off to sleep as soon as the car jolted into motion. She woke up while they were driving through the forest, and she noticed that she felt cosily warm, while she snuggled deeper into the jacket hugging her tight like a blanket. Except that it wasn't her jacket. She opened her eyes and realised that it was his, and she sent a questioning glance at Shinichi, who only smiled genuinely when he noticed her peering at him. She closed her eyes contently once more and took a deep breath to entrap the scent that lingered on the jacket inside her lungs. His scent evoked tender memories from childhood and, even though she suddenly became restless, she kept her eyes closed to focus solely on them.

When Shinichi parked the car before Vermouth's house, Ran stretched her arms out and yawned, getting rid of the drowsiness. She returned the jacket to Shinichi, and the both of them unloaded the car and took the many bags inside, packing the cupboards with cereal, bread and rice and then putting away the fruit, vegetables and meat in the fridge.

After that, they decided to walk through the forest as Shinichi had suggested before. Indeed, the scenery was breathtakingly beautiful. The rainy months of March and April had given the vegetation a bright green colour, and now, in the middle of May, with the flowers bloomed and their scent mingled with the breeze, it made the forest look alive. Its canopy was so dense it rarely let a streak of sunlight pass through.

They strolled leisurely through the woods, enjoying every detail their eyes caught. The sun shined with a crimson hue, already beginning its journey to the west and ready to be substituted by the moon in just a few hours. A comfortable silence ensued, and they were content just to be walking side by side, looking at everywhere but at the other, with nothing but their thoughts to entertain them. The moment was so magical that it was like something out of a vintage dream.

The sound of running water called to them, and they saw a big old fountain amidst the trees. Ran gasped and sprinted to touch the water, and with a mischievous glint, she splashed Shinichi. He laughed and covered himself with his arms when she did it again, and soon the both of them were laughing and playing around until the ringtone of his phone made them stop. Shinichi looked at the screen and Ran peered over his shoulders to see who it was.

"Hattori," he greeted, picking up, coming closer to Ran to let her hear the conversation.

"Yo, Kudo. How are you and Neechan holding up?" the smooth voice of Hattori Heiji asked.

"We're… We're fine," he replied, looking at her with a knowing smirk. "We've had a little incident, but Ran took care of it. How are things going on your end?"

"Well. I saw your text and I freaked out when you didn't say anything more, so today I went to Tokyo to speak with _Mouri-no-otchan_ and see how we should tackle this. So we were arguing about it when a dude entered the Agency, and guess what, it was your pal Vermouth. She said she needed help to investigate the Hospital, and because I went with her, she disguised as freaking Kazuha. _Freaking_ Kazuha, man," Heiji emphasized, making Shinichi and Ran smile at the other end. "It creeped the hell out of me, I'm telling you. But I don't think she needed any help, to be honest. I talked to Araide-sensei and he knew nothing, and Vermouth went to find that Sakurama-san and she seemed like really upset after talking to him. She didn't answer to anything I asked, she wouldn't tell me anything… I don't know, man."

"Yes, she called me too before and she sounded… Well, not like her usual self," Shinichi agreed.

"Something smells fishy. I think I'm going to do some investigation of my own," offered Heiji.

"Tomorrow she's going to come over to talk to us," Shinichi informed him.

"Oh, then, call me tomorrow, but for real. I'll kill you if you let me hanging like you did yesterday."

Heiji marked a pause, and Shinichi whispered a soft ' _Here comes the drama_ 'to Ran, making her giggle. They both knew what was awaiting them.

"Man, I thought I just went mad, you know? She disguised as freaking Kazuha and she was identical. Same movements, same hair, same voice, and she didn't even need a bowtie like yours. Thank god she didn't speak to me with a Kansai accent, because then I would have totally bought it. Hell, it creeped me out. You would think I know my girlfriend well enough but I just don't know anymore, man…" Heiji groaned, and both Shinichi and Ran could imagine him ruffling his hair in desperation.

"Yes, she does that. Don't think too much about it."

"Man, I'm going to have to double-check Kazuha when I go back to Osaka today."

"I don't need the details, thanks," Shinichi deadpanned.

"I wasn't going to give you any, _ahou_!" Heiji yelled. "Well, gotta get going. Stay safe, the both of you."

"Will do," Shinichi replied, hanging up, already missing Ran's closeness when she moved apart from his ear.

"Does she do that a lot? I mean, Vermouth disguising as other people?" Ran asked with a troubled expression.

"She's cunning like that, but I want to think that she only does it when she has a solid motivation, not for fun. She disguised as Araide-sensei two years ago because she wanted to track Haibara, and then she disguised as Azusa-san in that case…"

"Oh, _that_ I did know, or rather, suspected," Ran explained. "I only recognised her because at some point she called me Angel, and it made me think back to the night when you and Ai-chan were kidnapped, because the woman with the gun wanting to kill Ai-chan also called me Angel. What happened that night, really?"

"Do you want the brief version?" Shinichi asked her, and she only arched an eyebrow. He sighed defeatedly. "Vermouth sent the letter inviting us to that Halloween Party so that I went to the party and left Haibara alone, because, at the time, I was always at Agasa-hakase's house watching out for her. So Hattori disguised as Kudo Shinichi to make Vermouth think I was there and let her guard down, and I, disguised as Haibara, went with Jodie-sensei to that area, while having Araide-sensei follow us. Of course, that Araide-sensei was Vermouth. With Agasa-hakase we had locked Haibara inside the lab so that she couldn't find us, but she did, and then Vermouth had a free card to kill her. But apparently, _someone_ " Shinichi emphasized, giving her a pointed look, "protected her from Vermouth's gun, and now that you've mentioned it, I want to know why."

"Well, I don't know. I saw that Jodie-sensei had a lot of pictures of us at the play, of Conan-kun and Hattori-kun, and I wanted to ask her why. I hid in the trunk of her car and the next thing I know is that there is someone shooting at another one, and I jumped to protect Ai-chan. You would have done the same."

"I would and I understand, but you can't just expect me to–" he inhaled deeply, managing to calm down a bit. "The mere idea that I was asleep at the time and you were there unprotected is just terrifying."

"But Vermouth didn't want to hurt me. She even told the other man to stop firing, and she only shot dissuasively at me. And then she cried ' _Move it, Angel!_ '"

"But you didn't know that before jumping in the fray!" Shinichi cried.

"Well, I didn't care. And I'm here now, aren't I?" she asked with resolution. She did have a point, but Shinichi didn't want to admit it. Nevertheless, Ran spoke up again before he had any time to retort. "By the way, why do you think she calls me Angel?"

"I might have a theory. Do you remember when we went to New York? You saved that silver-haired serial killer from falling off the balcony. Well, that was Vermouth and, since you saved her from falling, you are her Angel, thus your nickname."

"Oh."

 _Is a reason necessary? I don't know why you would kill someone but as for saving someone... a logical mind isn't needed, right?_

The words echoed in her mind, and the memories brought back by that case struck her hard. This was the second time she remembered Shinichi speaking out those significant words, and she was blessed again with the feeling those words had evoked since the first time she had heard them. He had come to her aid just in the nick of time, saving Vermouth from a certain death and then saving her from self-doubt and guilt. Of course, she was going to save someone if she was given the chance, whatever the cost and whatever the consequences. She would have saved Rose ten times, as she would have saved that serial killer even when he was pointing a gun at her, even if he was ready to fire it. And when that serial killer asked for a reason, he explained that _no_ reason is necessary to save someone. He expressed what her heart could not, what her heart had been struggling to understand, and it made her realise that Shinichi would have done exactly the same. And Shinichi saved her, just as they have saved Vermouth. Indeed, a logical mind is not needed to explain rationally why someone saves another, they just do.

But that was not the only feeling his words had awoken in her. That had been such a vital moment in her life. _That_ had been the moment she noticed that Shinichi was no longer a very good _friend_. He was so much more than just one of her best friends, one childhood friend. From that moment on, she could see that she had been in love with him since forever, but she hadn't come to terms with it until he delivered those words, because they had made her understand that he knew her better than anyone else. While talking to Vermouth, his words had reached her heart because it was just what she needed to hear to let go of all the blame. He knew her heart inside out, he knew her soul and, in that realisation, she discovered they shared the same heart, the same soul. Ever since he had spoken those words, she could put a name to what she felt for him, and she had been taken off guard by how powerful it was.

Love. And not the kind that only sent shivers up her spine and set the butterflies in her stomach free. It was love, head over heels in love, love with a passion, the sort of love that leaves one breathless and that makes one want to shout it at the top of their lungs. A love so powerful she thought it could overcome anything fate threw their way. Just two years later, with her trust and faith broken and her heart in pieces, she had been prepared to throw it away completely. But thank God she wasn't able to. Eventually, it had come back in full force. It had taken two more years for that love to come bursting out again, and to prove it was as strong and resilient as it was in the very beginning. She wouldn't let go now.

"Just, don't do it again, please?" Shinichi pleaded with her, making her focus on him once more. "I know we've been over this a million times, but just–" he halted, collecting his thoughts. "Let me know if you want to do something reckless and I will be there too."

"Will you practice what you preach?" she teased him.

" _Barou_ , you don't–" he whined.

"Shall we get back? It's going to be dark soon," she ignored him, taking his wrist to urge him on.

She was glad she was looking ahead because she didn't want him to see the monumental blush that was gracing her cheeks. Shinichi just followed her without so much as a word, dumbstruck. When she directed a rapid glance at him when she had calmed down, he thought he could see again a bit of concern in her expression, but she covered it quickly.

They got back to the cabin, and Shinichi suggested _attempting_ to bake the lemon pie and use the time in the oven to eat dinner. Ran agreed, but hit him on the arm just for good measure because he had used the word _attempting_ as if doubting her abilities. While Shinichi prepared a colourful wild rice salad and cooked the steak, Ran trimmed the lemons and sliced them into circles, chopping them coarsely right afterwards and adding the sugar. Then she mixed the eggs, flour and salt, to stir everything together and pour the mix into pie pan. Shinichi helped her place the pan in the oven, and they sat at the table to eat dinner. The mess they had made would have to be cleaned up afterwards.

With their stomachs stuffed, a delicious smell of pie baking wafting from the kitchen and the very mouth-watering lemon pie out of the oven, they could no longer put off the cleaning of the kitchen. The problem was that neither of them wanted to get up from the table after sharing such fond memories and good conversation. Shinichi got up first and Ran followed dutifully, unable to meet his eyes.

"What is it that you need to ask me?" Shinichi asked offhandedly, as if he was asking about the weather, while he rolled up his sleeves to wash the utensils they had used.

Ran lifted her head, surprised. She knew he had always been able to look through her, but she had thought she was doing a good job now hiding it.

"It's nothing important," she replied a shade too quickly.

"If it's eating at you like it is, it _is_ ," he emphasized with a pointed look at her, washing the plates.

"I was just wondering… Since this afternoon, I've got this thing stuck in my head and I can't get it out. But it's okay if you don't want to answer this, because it's kind of personal, but…" she trailed off, already blushing at the prospect of having this conversation with him.

"You don't have to get so flustered. It's just me," Shinichi laughed softly to ease her mind.

"I don't even know if I want to know the answer, you know? I mean, I want to know, but I fear that you'll get mad at me for asking or that the answer I'm expecting won't be the same you'll tell me," she exhaled, trying to calm her nerves. She focused on towelling the plates and utensils to avoid diving too deep into that conversation, because she didn't know if she was going to end up scarred once again.

"Won't know unless you ask. Remember our truce this morning? No more secrets from me. If you want to know something about me, I will answer truthfully."

"Yeah, but… Okay, I will ask, and then you can refuse to answer if you're not comfortable," she breathed deeply, bracing herself. "When I mentioned Asami-san, I just remembered that she confessed to you and you turned her down saying that you liked a girl who was−"

"Strong, stubborn, gentle and sensitive," Shinichi helped her with a fond smile, while she directed a rapid and dumbfounded glance at him, blushing to the roots of her hair.

And now he could see her. She was, once again, the Ran he had always known and grown up with. She had let go of all the masks and façades, she was a girl once again, timid, unsure, but with a determination in her eyes that had never faded. He was so glad she was back with him. Even if he could never have her heart again, he treasured their friendship more than anything.

"Oh my god! I've just realised something. You were in that car with us and you didn't want her to tell," Ran shrieked, covering her mouth with her hand, shying away from his eyes.

"Of course," he replied as if having a conversation about first loves was the most natural thing in the world. "I would have liked to tell you myself when I had the chance, but she blurted it out," he chuckled and dried his hands with the towel.

Glancing at her even more bewildered expression, he reeled in a loud laugh, thinking that maybe he should tone it down a bit. He told his heart to calm down and that, even if this was an emotionally charged conversation with countless implied readings, he couldn't allow his hopes to get up. She could be asking out of curiosity, because it would have surely been a thing that she would have wanted to know at some point. Didn't he want to know hers too? Could he possibly ask about it someday?

He paused for a moment, and he couldn't help being astonished at himself too by how openly he was talking about this specific topic. He had grown, hadn't he? Three years ago, he would have denied everything, stuttered and blushed furiously until he could probably combust. Today, after everything he'd been through, after being away from her two exhausting long years… He was eager to let her know, to prove to her that he hadn't doubted anything about them a single day of his life. He had always known it could only be Ran for him. And having her, _Ran_ , at his side was bringing him back, second by second, word for word, and he felt it in his heart. He knew he could fight again, he knew he could make her fall in love with him all over again. He wasn't going to desist now, not when she was in his arm's reach again.

"Can you maybe tell me who it was?" Ran questioned timidly, pulling Shinichi out of his reverie.

A chuckle escaped him unwillingly. Honestly, she was such a bright girl, but when it came to _them_ … Now that he thought about it, he wasn't in a very good position to talk. He had been outright clueless too, and it had taken Ran telling him straight away that she liked him to know about it, back to the first night he had been Conan. They made quite the pair of fools.

"I've left a huge amount of evidence over the years. Haven't you figured it out yet?" he smirked. He couldn't let an opportunity to tease her pass.

"I'm not a Sherlock Holmes like you are!" she cried.

"So?" he yelled back.

"So I don't know," Ran replied quietly, sighing. "In hindsight, I guess, but… I don't−" she stopped for a moment, and Shinichi gave her the time to collect her thoughts. "What I mean is…"

"You do know," Shinichi threw her a line because he was hurting to see her struggling like that.

"I can't wrap my mind around it. Why would you...?"

"Do you need a logical mind to explain why you love another? You just do," he explained, shrugging his shoulders, while he turned a little to face her completely.

Her mind registered that he had used the word _love_ and not _like_ this time.

"But was it l−?" she asked lifting her eyes, unable to finish that word. Upon seeing his confused stare, she knew she had to elaborate: "It's just that we were so young when we were 13, and to think that you possibly could…"

"I've wasted so much time beating around the subject, I had so many chances over the years that I didn't take because I was a fool, and it cost me you," Shinichi confessed, having understood her broken words, while squaring his shoulders and looking straight at her. "I'm not afraid to admit it, Ran. It was love. It still _is_ ," he confirmed, glancing at her with his tenderest and earnest gaze.

"But what did you know about love?" she murmured softly, taken aback by his seriousness, facing him too so that she could see his expression.

But what she saw in his eyes left her dazzled. He looked at her with a gaze that surpassed all others. He was opening up his soul for her to delve into, and she could do nothing but stare back, being amazed by all the things he could tell her with just one look. It didn't left leave her unaffected. Her heart raced to slow down painfully in the next second, her breath hitched agonizingly and her knees felt weak. She was a mess of emotions, of fears and of hopes, and she could do nothing but hold onto the promise of his truthful answer. Now she knew that she wanted to know, she needed to know.

He opened his mouth and, the second he spoke out his heart, she _also_ knew she was done for.

"You're what I know about love."

* * *

A very quiet fluffy domestic and longer chapter just for them, because they deserve it! :) Sorry if it boring at one point, but they needed heavy dialogue and confessions to take Ran to where the place she needs to be for the next chapters. So, in the upcoming chapters, we have a bit of action again. Hang tight!

And about the case of NY, I was struggling really hard to put into words what that case made me feel, so I turned to the tumblr of one fantastic and amazing girl, called letitrainasunnyday. She is so nice, she delivers the best ShinRan analysis ever and I'm so in love with everything she writes there. Give it a chance and ask her what you have always wanted to know about ShinRan, she will not disappoint you in the slightest! I love her!

Agh, Shinichi is such a charmer in this chapter. He has grown so much ever since his Conan days. I would have been in a puddle on the floor if he had just delivered that last line to me, which I owe to the soundtrack that I'm currently obsessed with! If anyone's interested, that line is from Kristoff's Lullaby, a song you can find in the soundtrack of Frozen the Broadway Musical. I'm so in love with that CD and the new songs it's crazy, I'm telling you lol

Anywhoo, thank you again for your support, to every one of you who have reviewed, favourited or followed this. Thank you! I hope you liked this chapter as much as I did! I'd like to hear your opinions, please!

With love,

DCSR392.


	8. 7: For as long as it takes

Disclaimer: Shinichi and Ran and all other characters to appear in this story are the property of Aoyama Gosho and his incredibly precious little grey cells. I think I can play with them, though. A little…

A/N: Oh my gosh, I'm really ashamed now. These few weeks I've been super busy with work and I haven't had the time to sit down to even update this, so I'm really sorry for the one week break… My PhD follow up is next week (wish me luck!) and hopefully then I will be able to write down some more, but for now, I have to say that I don't know when I will be updating this again. Nevertheless, thank you so much to everyone who followed/favourited and special thanks to those of you who reviewed and stuck with me (hislips, Nen91, Guest and BUB30, thank you!) and a shout out to hislips, because she encouraged me to update this as soon as possible. I hope you enjoy the chapter! :)

* * *

 _ **Run**_

 **Chapter 7**

 _For as long as it takes_

* * *

Even if she could have racked her brain to find the perfect comeback to his last words, the soft and gentle voice he had employed had left her unable to think. Without even trying, he had pierced her heart without giving her any chance to recover, and it could only mean one thing. Her last wall, the last bit of defence she held up against him, was irrevocably down. With those words and their raw and warm-hearted meaning, he had dived so deep into her heart she had _felt_ her heartstrings being strummed. And she knew then that she couldn't fight it, that she was powerless against him, although it didn't matter. This was certainly the most beautiful and peaceful way to surrender, to give in to him.

She could only observe him as he came closer to her, her eyes flickering from his beautiful bright blue eyes to his handsome face. Without really noticing the movement, his hand was suddenly tucking her hair behind her ear, but his hand didn't leave when he finished doing that. It stayed right there, on the side of her face, warming her body and sending a lovely blush to her cheeks. She gasped when she felt his hand brushing across her cheekbone in absentminded strokes, to later move to her lower lip to caress it in the same fashion. She made the mistake of wanting to watch the play of emotions in his eyes, and she saw with awe that he was drinking her in, admiring her. Just as entranced by him, she felt overwhelmed, but she couldn't avert her eyes even if her life depended on it.

Their bodies were almost flush, and his hand advanced towards the back of her neck. He was so cautious in coming closer to her, he was moving so slowly and carefully that it was actually hurting her. His eyes flickered from one point to the other looking for a single speck of doubt, and it ached because she understood why he was doing that, and he was a fool for solely thinking of doing it. He was giving her the chance to get away if she didn't want this to happen, he was letting her choose. But oh, she had been longing for this since the very first kiss they had shared the night before… There was no way she could escape, she wouldn't live with herself if she did.

Her heart picked up its pace and at some point her gaze strayed on his lips and the tender smile tugging at them, the realisation sinking in _his_ eyes. She was not going anywhere, because she wouldn't imagine herself in some place other than in his arms. She was his, and she needed this. And he knew, _he knew_.

With one millimetre separating their faces, their lips slightly puckered, his hand burning on her neck and her hands going up to the collar of his shirt, she felt her heart doing a backflip, and she couldn't resist his enamoured gaze anymore. At the same time he pushed her head towards him, she grabbed onto the lapels of his shirt to bring his head down, and they met halfway.

The same second their lips touched, an unexpected electric charge coursed through her body. His kiss sent ripples of electricity crawling across her skin and it made her arch her back involuntarily, pushing her chest onto him. His lips fondled hers with a lovingness and a tenderness she didn't know he was capable of showing, taking his own sweet time, telling her wordlessly that he would give his all to make her happy, promising her she wouldn't be heart-broken again if she gave him a second chance. She responded accordingly, yielding to his touch. He was kissing her so slowly, so softly, it was sheer torture for her.

Deep in the recesses of her brain, she acknowledged that this kiss was nothing like their first one. Whereas the first had been downright hungry, hot, desperate, fierce and demanding, a battle of sorts for dominance, this second kiss was softer, intimate, pleading, sweet and needy. This kiss was him coercing her to have an unhurried and sensual dance with him, in which the both of them were equals, that could have taken forever to finish because forever was what they had. She wished that's what they had, anyway.

Shinichi's arms snaked around her waist and trailed to the small of her back, going underneath her T-shirt to find a sensitive spot there, and he pulled her tightly against him. Her skin was on fire, just as hot as the smouldering wildfire dancing in her eyes that he saw when he parted their lips to gulp in some air. Her fingers threaded themselves in the rough silk of his hair, stroking the back of his neck, and he couldn't help the moan that rang into her mouth. Shinichi held Ran's face in his hands, his fingers tangling in her hair too.

His teeth tugged at her, his tongue running the length of her lower lip and sending shivers up her spine. With an astray groan he coaxed her lips to part, and tilted her face so that he could go further, so that he could feel her deeper. Mouths parted, Shinichi didn't waste any second possessing her, and Ran made sure that he knew he was thoroughly and roughly hers.

The little restraint left in them was soon scattered to the four winds, as their hands further discovered each other and their mouths found new and exciting accessible areas to cherish. With the ministrations of the other, the maddening friction and the impatient sighs, they were in way over their heads. The presence, feeling, and responses from the other were making them both crazy, desperate to know the sounds and reactions they could elicit from one another. Their passion had been kept hidden, bottled up in the dark corners of their hearts but, once released from its fortress, it came crashing like a tidal wave, tearing everything down like a hurricane. It couldn't be stopped.

When the proximity didn't feel sufficient to satisfy their desire, Ran's legs wrapped around his waist, as if attempting to fuse them together. Shinichi picked her up easily, and she felt the counter suddenly hold her up as he placed her on the ledge. It registered somewhere that the kiss had evolved swiftly from delicate and gentle to aggressive in the last few seconds, but she didn't want to correct him. The pads of his fingers caressing her back were freeing her from all the sanity, from all the rational thinking, and she was so lost in the haze. He was faring no better. Her hands scratching the back of his neck were robbing him of his judgement, making him desperate, and they were connected on so many levels, on so many places, she could _feel_ his blood rushing. But it wasn't enough. With her hands exploring every inch of his body, she could feel his entire body respond to her every touch, and it was exhilarating to know that she was the cause of his helplessness, of his ragged breath and his erratic heartbeat.

Her legs around him tightened when she didn't feel the counter below her anymore, and the next thing she knew was the soft feeling of the mattress of her bed supporting her. Sprawled on the bed, with her hair dishevelled above the pillow, she relished in the thrill that Shinichi's solid, hard and warm body provided, the ecstasy that his weight pinning her to the mattress bestowed. In none of her wildest dreams, she could have come up with such a sensation, because nothing could compare to having him so near, sharing such intimacy. And with the way he was touching her, the way he was making her whimper under his fingertips, she could bet all her money he had been yearning for that closeness as much as she had.

Shinichi's kisses were so passionate that she felt something stir within her, felt a heat growing in the pit of her stomach, while her blood transformed into liquid fire under his fingers. A wanton sigh escaped her as their lips broke apart, and it only served to further encourage him. His lips wandered to her jawline, leaving open-mouthed kisses that made her skin tingle and she could only pull him against her and seek his mouth again to give him a searing kiss.

His hand was sliding upwards and suddenly it was right there, just below her breast line drawing arousing patterns, and her mind fogged. In a moment of sudden clarity, she regained control of her hands, unbuttoning his shirt and throwing it away to a heap on the floor. The reality of the situation kicked in, but she was not afraid. She couldn't possibly know if he had any experience in this field, but with his touches and kisses, he was rocking her world so hard that there was no coming back. Her lips crashed into his once more, and she was actually proud to see he was left panting and looking at her with such desire in his eyes.

His fingers dropped to the hem of her T-shirt and he tugged, taking it off of her. In other situation, she would have been embarrassed, but she was far more preoccupied with his mouth descending on her sternum, brushing incitingly against her skin. She was falling apart. A moan slipped out of her mouth, and she inhaled sharply and instinctively opened her eyes. Shinichi seemed to feel it and glanced up at her face with the most vibrant blue eyes he had ever sported, causing her to shiver against him. He seemed to hesitate for a moment, but she wouldn't have any of it. Overcome with lust, she cupped his face and brought it back to her, kissing him breathless.

When her unsteady hands found the belt on his trousers, he broke away to study her face and caress her cheek lovingly, kissing her senseless just afterwards. He was kissing her with such love, such tenderness… And it moved something within her that she couldn't possibly describe.

"I love you, Ran," he whispered as he looked at her amorously. He didn't elaborate, but by looking at her he seemed to be gauging if she was sure that this was what she wanted.

When she didn't respond, partly because she lacked the coherency of mind to, he grew worried.

"You…" he started, his eyes watching every corner of the play in hers. He gasped as he understood, and had every intention to pull away, but Ran was faster. She kept him close by tightening her hold on his neck. He stopped moving, continuing to look at her. "You haven't completely forgiven me…" he breathed morosely, understanding what the problem was.

Ran averted her eyes, not knowing how to reply to that. She couldn't lie to him after everything that had transpired between them in the last minutes.

"I'm sorry, Shinichi," she murmured quietly.

"No, you don't have anything to be sorry for," he pressed a soft kiss to her cheek to emphasize his point. "I'm the one who's sorry. You are still hurting and here I was, trying to−"

"No, Shinichi, I want this," Ran assured him.

"But if you're not sure, I don't think that this would be fair to you," he stated, brushing a strand of hair out of her face. "I love you more than anything else in this world, and there is nothing that I would like more than sharing this with you but−"

"But what?" she whispered back, her voice laced with sorrow.

"You deserve so much better than this, and I want to give you so much better than this," he directed his gaze to his surroundings. "We're not in the best situation right now, and I don't want you to think that I'm doing this for all the wrong reasons."

"I won't regret it if we do."

"I know but, Ran," Shinichi kissed her softly, leisurely, and she responded wholeheartedly. "Let me gain your trust again, give me a chance to make you fall in love with me again, to make you love me as much as I love you. Let me do things right this time," he smiled.

"But Shinichi, you're doing just _that_ these days. I'm falling as hard as I did the first time, and I'm not afraid. I'm getting there, I know I am, and I want to give in, but it's hard because I haven't fully let go of everything that's holding me back. I just need time."

As she said that, she realised she had never spoken more truthful words. Her barricades were positively shattered, he and his infectious love had demolished them irreversibly, and she found herself being glad they were. It was such a liberating feeling.

"And we'll have our whole lives, you'll see," he replied with a warm gaze. "Whenever you're ready, whenever you have _nothing_ holding you back anymore, I want to be able to love you every second of your life, and not only the night before everything can come crumbling down to pieces."

"But that's just _it_ , Shinichi," Ran cried back. "For all we know, there's no tomorrow, there are no second chances. And if we're going to die, I want to go knowing that I listened to my heart for one and not my brain."

"But then it wouldn't be fair, Ran. They both should tell you the same thing. If you only listen to one, you could be second-guessing, or doubting, or even regretting if after it happened. And I don't want you to go through that. I can wait for as long as it takes," he told her with a loving smile and placing a loud kiss on her forehead. "I'm not going anywhere and I promise you, we won't die."

"You don't know that."

"These years I've learnt to take pretty much everything on faith, and I know we will overcome anything. I believe in you, in us, and I love you, and not one crazy Boss is going to take you away from me."

Shinichi looked at her again, and Ran displayed such a forlorn and sad expression on her face that it broke his heart. He couldn't take it anymore, and he hid his face in her neck.

"I'm sorry, Ran," he brushed his lips against her skin.

"No," she sighed, her hand coming up to brush across the side of his face when he looked up at her again. A little smile adorned her face. "I understand. I want to be in this one hundred per cent, but I am so scared of the mere idea that he could kill us that I… It's not fair to you either."

"Don't push yourself. I'm here for as long as it takes. I wouldn't want it any other way."

She tried gathering her courage to tell him what she felt for him, but the words stuck in her throat. Shinichi saw her struggling and understood what she was trying to say all the same. He could read her like an open book.

"It's okay. Until you can tell me, I will be the one doing all the talking," he let out a loud laugh at his expense. If he thought about it, it was really funny that he had said that. She had always been the one to speak her mind, while he had always preferred actions to words.

She saw through it in a second and smiled, relieved and thankful for his seemingly endless love and patience. Her arms came again around his neck, pulling him in a fierce hug and he, surprised, didn't waste a moment to leave a loud kiss on her neck, while his arms held her just as tightly. She released him, and he took his weight on his arms so as not to crush her, capturing his blue orbs with hers. He beamed at her so brightly that it could light up the entire room, and her smile was not too far behind. She traced aimless patterns over the bare skin of his back while she devoured every angle of his face with her eyes, and she laughed when the movement elicited delicate goose bumps on his skin.

"Maybe we should go to sleep?" he asked, somewhat embarrassed.

"Can you stay?" Ran asked back, still running her finger carefully over his muscled arm.

"Here? With you?"

"Yes," she breathed.

"Of course," he smirked.

"And can you kiss me? Please?" Ran asked with the most innocent voice she could muster.

"Don't mind if I do," he laughed again.

He descended on her and brushed his lips softly against hers, fireworks exploding in her head lighted by the tenderness of his touch. He put every bit of his soul into that kiss, and she soaked up all the love he delivered. He moaned lowly as he wrapped his arms around Ran's waist to draw her in, while she gingerly touched the back of his neck as she danced her tongue around his. She doubted she would ever have enough of him. It was nonetheless a very soft kiss, one that made the butterflies in their stomachs fly loosely.

"I could get used to this, you know," he winked while beaming at her.

Shinichi got off of her and excused himself to go to his room to change into his pyjamas, allowing Ran to do the same in hers, and coming back after a minute. He noted with glee that Ran was wearing the same overlarge t-shirt she wore in the morning, but he didn't dare comment on it. Even if they had really crossed a line tonight, a comment like that could still get him killed.

Smiling apologetically, Shinichi tucked the both of them in with a boyish blush, and he spooned her from behind. Letting out a contented sigh, she focused on the steady rhythm of his heart against her back. As soon as he drifted off, sleep found her easily too.

Throughout the night, the fateful lemon pie laid, forgotten, on the kitchen counter.

[…]

When the early morning light streamed through the window, Shinichi opened his eyelids sleepily. He sensed a presence by his side, relaxing immediately when he came face to face with Ran. Gorgeous asleep Ran. His strong arms wrapped around her protectively, and she stirred but didn't complain anymore.

Everything seemed so unbelievable. If someone had told him two days ago that he would be sharing a bed with Ran, he would have killed that someone with a glare and told him off. And yet, he was here, with her. Everything about that moment was like out of a dream, but her warmth, her breathing, she was making it look real. And everything was true: Ran, Vermouth's house, Karasuma… He didn't know where they would go from here, but he did know he would give his everything for her, for them.

When she stirred again, he propped his head on his hand and his elbow dug into the mattress. A sleepy smile erupted in her face when she opened her eyes, and his hand came up to brush a lock of hair back from her face. She closed them again and got close to him so that he wound up on his back, and she rested her cheek on his chest to listen to his heartbeat, snuggling a bit closer into him. The warmth of his skin against hers was reassuring, welcoming.

"How are you feeling?" Shinichi asked, a hint of worry present in his eyes, although she couldn't see it. As if out of habit, he ran his fingers through her silky locks.

"Good," Ran hummed contentedly. "And you?" she asked, lifting her face up so that she could kiss his chin.

"Hm… I'll have to think about it..."

He smiled mischievously and pulled her tighter against him. Ran gasped, and Shinichi made use of her open mouth to kiss her lips deeply. When the surprise subsided, she delivered an equally heart-warming response, and her hands laced through his hair. A moan escaped her when his eagerly wandering hands reached the small of her back, travelling then to caress her hips, and she kissed him ardently. Until a grumbling stomach interrupted them, that is.

"Hungry?" she arched an eyebrow at him.

"Starving," he answered with a sheepish smile and a blush.

"I _heard_ …" Ran sighed dejectedly, but she couldn't stop the smile twitching at her lips.

After the both of them took a shower, they met again in the kitchen to prepare breakfast, which consisted of two mugs of strong coffee and a slice of the delicious lemon pie they had prepared the day before.

"How is it?" Ran asked, expectant for his verdict. She looked like a little child awaiting the appraisal of her parents, but Shinichi didn't voice it in case she took offence at the analogy.

"It's possibly the best I've ever eaten, Ran," he laughed, munching the pie eagerly.

"I'm glad you like it," she smiled back.

His hand found hers over the table and he squeezed it, content to be able to share something as tiny but as significant as a praise over a lemon pie with her. His mind had still trouble to grasp the whole situation, but he was happy. And, looking at her with a tender gaze, he was even more ecstatic that she seemed to be happy too by his side.

After finishing breakfast and putting away the dishes and glasses, having nothing left to do, the weight of the situation dawned on them. Their bubble had burst and, even if they could find comfort in their closeness on the sofa, the sound of every ticking second was almost deafening. As noon approached, Ran couldn't help but direct even more worried glances at the clock, becoming anxious minute by minute. Shinichi observed her, equally preoccupied, until it all became too much.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked, taking her hand in his.

"You're as nervous as I am, aren't you?" Ran questioned back, her eyebrows raised questioningly. As easy as he saw through her, she could see through him too.

"Possibly," he chuckled, being caught. "But she may bring good news, you know?"

"Eh, not so sure about that," she replied dryly.

"One can only hope. Miracles happen," Shinichi smiled, glancing briefly at their intertwined hands.

"But just look at you! How can you be so calm with everything that's going on? You're practically glowing!" Ran cried in disbelief.

"I'm worried too," he admitted, averting his eyes. "I'm feeling the same way that I felt after Kyoto, when suddenly everyone knew I was still alive. I'm terrified, rattled to the teeth, but I have to joke around if I don't want to lose it. Still, I want to believe that not everything's lost. Besides, we−"

Without any warning, the sound of tires screeching on the forest ground outside of the house interrupted him. It was followed by soft steps, each of them taking the stranger closer to the house. Both Shinichi and Ran stayed seated on the sofa, petrified, although he knew he would have to move eventually. He directed a rapid glance at the clock hanging on the wall, which read 12 pm, sharp. Equal parts glad and dreading to know who stood at the other side, he got up and walked to the front door, while he motioned for Ran to stay where she was. He waited until he heard to soft knocks on the door and then opened it.

"Hello, Cool guy."

"Hi," Shinichi greeted back. Before silence could settle uncomfortably, he asked: "Everything okay?"

"Yes, as okay as one could expect. You may want to sit down for this one," she replied grimly.

"Of course, come in. Ran's in the living room too."

The both of them walked a few steps to get to the living room. Shinichi was visibly uneasy, but Vermouth sported a relaxed expression which morphed into a peaceful smile upon seeing Ran.

"Hello, Angel," Vermouth said, extending a hand for Ran to shake. She got up from the sofa in a flash, and nervously extended her own.

"Hello. Sharon?" Ran asked hesitantly while returning the greeting. She couldn't help but send a questioning gaze at Shinichi, and he nodded solemnly.

"Yes," Vermouth sighed, sitting down on a comfortable armchair in front of the sofa.

 _Crisis averted_ , Shinichi thought to himself, although he was not sure if he'd have to be wary in the first place. He went to sit beside Ran, Vermouth following him with her gaze. She noticed that he was sitting a little bit closer for comfort to Ran, considering they had been at each other's throats just two days before, and something about his expression and his pose compelled Vermouth to ask about what was nagging her.

"Has… Has something happened? Between you two?" With a glint of glee in her eyes, Vermouth thought that maybe she was overstepping her boundaries, but if her two treasures were happy, she could be happy for them.

"What do you mean?" Ran asked, wanting to appear oblivious even though the tell-tale blush the two young adults displayed revealed everything and more.

"Congratulations. Yukiko will be very happy," she smiled, ignoring the frustrated groan on Shinichi's part. "She has been rooting for you two since you were little. The first time around, I mean."

"Can we get back to the topic at hand?" Shinichi demanded a bit forcefully.

"Yes, I'm sorry," Vermouth marked a pause. She schooled her expression to one of seriousness and breathed deeply, bracing herself. "As you know, I went to the Hospital and talked to this Sakurama-san you mentioned. It wasn't very hard, finding him…"

"Did you say something to him?" Shinichi wondered.

"Yes. He wasn't even hiding, he wasn't even disguised, and he recognised me even though I _was_."

"What are you−?" Ran started, but Vermouth interrupted her with a firm voice.

"His real name is Karasuma Ryoichi, and he is the son of Karasuma Renya, the boss of the Karasuma project."

"What?" Shinichi cried, stunned.

"That's the truth. Very few people knew that he had a son, and even fewer knew that he was working inside the Organization," she hesitated for a moment but decided not to elaborate on that information. They didn't need to know anything more on that regard. "He didn't explain anything, but I'm sure he was at the Hospital because he wanted to spy on the both of you and that was the fastest and easiest way to do so. Only he couldn't do that when you were not speaking to each other, but something brought you back together and with–" she paused again, exhaling, "with Karasuma Renya having died two months ago, he could put his plan into action."

"Karasuma died?" Ran gasped, eyes widened and her hand flying up to cover her mouth. Vermouth only nodded.

"Yes, well. He was old. We didn't always agree with the way things were done in the Organization, but he respected my wishes when it came to you both, at the cost of knowing that it would ruin everything he had built. Ryoichi, on the other hand, is not so gullible. The Karasuma project was as much his as it was Renya's, and he won't rest until he reaches his goal."

It was subtle, very well hidden, but just by observing her and the way she was speaking, together with the fact that she had referred to their new threat as _Ryoichi_ and not as _Karasuma Ryoichi_ , made Shinichi suspect that Vermouth was not being entirely honest with them. He decided to test the waters first.

"I'd understand if you didn't want to answer this, but… Do you have a history with him?"

Indeed, she did. She was not caught short in the slightest that Shinichi had been able to see through her, but she had hoped she would be able to _not admit it_ for a while longer.

"It's complicated. Nevertheless, I know what my choice will be, if and when the situation comes. I've known what it'd be since that night in New York. But, if I know myself, I might hesitate to pull the trigger because of what he meant to me."

Shinichi studied her, and he let it slide. She wouldn't be telling them anything more, and he compromised.

"I understand. But it will not come to that, I guarantee it."

"He always makes good on his promises, doesn't he?" Vermouth asked with a smirk while locking eyes with Ran, trying valiantly to diffuse the tense atmosphere which surrounded them after her confession.

Ran was taken unaware, but she recovered quickly and returned the smile.

"He does. It might take time, but he does," she said, directing a side-glance at the flustered boy.

"Thank you, but that's not all I wanted to talk to you about," Vermouth started. "In that conversation at the Hospital, Ryoichi mentioned an _us_ , implying that he's working with somebody else, but I don't know who that could be. When I finished talking to him, I wasn't−" she inhaled profoundly again, gathering her courage to finish that sentence, "I just needed to get away."

Shinichi nodded in understanding and glanced at Ran worriedly.

"Ran, do you have any idea?"

The wheels in Ran's brain were turning at breakneck speed. She stayed silent because she couldn't speak with every thought that assaulted her. In a daze, she turned to face Shinichi and saw his shocked features, registering then that he had been telling her something. She shook her head to focus.

"What? Sorry, I wasn't listening."

Shinichi met her eyes sceptically but didn't comment on it. Asking her about other suspicious people at the Hospital was far more important at the moment.

"I asked you if you knew of any other person that might be conspicuous at the Hospital…"

She hesitated and, as if she were out of her body, she heard herself saying the next words.

"No, of course not…"

Not as relieved as he would like to be, Shinichi turned his face to talk again with Vermouth. Ran disconnected thoroughly, not wanting to listen to one more bit of that conversation. Yes, she knew, of course she knew who the other person was. Of course she knew who had been helping Sakurama-san. Her hand went to find her phone in her jacket pocket, clutching it so hard that it would surely leave a severe burning mark on her hand. Her heart racing, she looked one last time at Shinichi, who was engrossed in speaking to the older woman. She didn't have to _listen_ twice to her heart to know what it was telling her to do.

* * *

My goodness, how long can a kiss and consequent make-out session get? I nearly couldn't handle it, and I am 26 and counting, oh my god. This is the first time I've written something like that, so I'm sorry if it didn't live up to your expectations… Sorry!

Today you're in luck because I will not be rambling! =D I want to say thank you again for all your support, and that I hope to hear your opinion on this! I love you all!

With love,

DCSR392.


	9. 8: And you?

Disclaimer: Shinichi and Ran and all other characters to appear in this story are the property of Aoyama Gosho and his incredibly precious little grey cells. I think I can play with them, though. A little…

A/N: First, I am so so so so sorry. I know it's been nearly two months since the last update, but life caught up to me, and then the PhD follow up (it went well!), and then work, and then holidays, and then my muse went out of the window and I got stuck in this chapter, and then more work… I am so sorry, but here I am again. I just want to thank you for all the reviews and encouragement, so thanks are in order for Nen91, Guest, Fansquealing, BUB30, Crazyforshinichi, Guest, and Ku10-41! Thank you for your patience! I hope you like this chapter too, and that you stick with me until the end (it's not that far ahead, maybe 2-3 chapters?) Thanks!

On another note, I wanted to dedicate this chapter to Yunnie-chan, in light of her passing in July. I didn't know her personally aside from a few words of gratitude, but I think each and every one of us in the fandom was very lucky to have such a sweet and kind and dedicated soul among us. I hope that she is happy wherever she is now, and that she can still see the resolution of this wonderful series and the happy ending these lovebirds deserve. Rest in peace, Yunnie.

Please, enjoy this quiet chapter! It won't be so peaceful anymore!

* * *

 _ **Run**_

 **Chapter 8**

 _And you?_

* * *

After a few minutes of fighting with her conscience back and forth, Ran could concentrate once again on the conversation between Shinichi and Vermouth. She directed her gaze at him first, and then at her. The grim and worried expression on their features did nothing to alleviate her.

"So what should we do now?" asked Shinichi to the older woman.

"It's…" she trailed off morosely. "At the moment, I would advise laying low. Ryoichi knows we're onto him and, if I've ever known him, he will get a little anxious and he may make a move soon. We have to be ready for that. I suppose you can do that?"

"Yes. We could call Hattori and drive to Osaka. Or, if he comes here, we could fight against them if the situation calls…"

"Good. Maybe we could wait some days and we could go back to Tokyo and confront him at the Hospital, or go there to try to investigate some more. We still have to discover who the second person is, and then we may get some leverage against him."

"It's not much, but it's better than staying here just waiting for him to find us," Shinichi agreed. Even if he had changed during these two years, he had not in that sense: he had always preferred to lead the attack than to hold the castle.

"Well, if he comes, I think I could try to reason with him or ask what he wants from you this time to stall him," said Vermouth although she didn't look like she was convinced about that.

"I'm aware that you know him but… Do you really think he's a reasonable man?" Shinichi cocked an eyebrow at her.

"I wouldn't say reasonable… But his goals are what drive him. Maybe we could find a goal that interests him more," Vermouth proposed with resolution.

Maybe Vermouth was saying that to spare them, to calm them, but Ran was not fooled in the slightest. Ran knew there wasn't any end that would motivate him more. After all, Shinichi had contributed to the destruction of his lifetime project. However, for reasons still unknown, it was her death that Karasuma wanted, not Shinichi's nor Vermouth's. She supposed she was merely a pawn in this game, the most painful and crueller way to get back at Shinichi, the leverage against him. Nevertheless, it all came down to her. Indeed, she had the chance to stop this once and for all in her hands, together with the possibility that neither Shinichi nor Vermouth would get hurt in the process. She had to do something.

"Would you excuse me for a moment? I need to go to the toilet," announced Ran.

She got up from the sofa somewhat forcibly, and intently avoided meeting anyone's eyes lest they knew she was hiding something. Shinichi noticed it and followed her with his gaze. He would ask about it later, but now there were more pressing matters at hand.

"Is she okay?" Vermouth asked, apparently reading his thoughts.

"Maybe she has an upset stomach. She'll be okay," Shinichi replied reassuringly, even if he didn't fully believe that was the problem. "Anyway, for now, we should think of a plan."

"I agree."

"I suppose… Contacting the police is out of the question, right? At least for now," Shinichi said.

"If you don't mind, I'd rather not. When we have him apprehended and I'm out of the picture, you can call whomever you find suitable. But until then…"

"I understand."

A moment of silence settled between them. Shinichi's mind drifted to Ran and how she may be feeling, but he knew he couldn't do anything at the moment. If the problem was stemming from the situation they were currently in, he understood she could be worried and hoped that she would return promptly so that he could tell her everything was going to be okay once more. If, on the other hand, her blank expression was due to _their_ new situation… Well, he hoped she didn't doubt the way he was feeling about her, even if she herself didn't know what she felt about him.

At the other end of the room, Vermouth was going over some risky plans in her head until her phone announced that someone had texted her. After taking her phone in her hands and reading the message, a sly smirk materialized in Vermouth's lips and she chuckled, drawing Shinichi's attention. He frowned and, with the way Vermouth was looking at him, he instantly knew that he wasn't going to like it one bit.

"There's someone asking for you. She says she's worried. Can I call _her_?" she asked innocently.

A suspicious train of thought appeared in his head, and he suddenly knew whom she was going to call. Goosebumps from dread were already appearing in his skin.

"Am I able to stop you?" he sighed, defeated.

"No."

"Then be my guest," he yielded.

Meanwhile, Ran had walked upstairs. She had entered her room and sat on the bed, debating over and over again whether this was a good idea or a terrible one. She had always believed herself to be a good judge of character, and she had thought she knew _him_ well enough after two years of university. But, if it was true, if it was true that _he_ had been working at the Hospital just to spy on her, she had been more ingenious than she had ever cared to admit.

Would making that call be dangerous for her? For Shinichi? Maybe he would listen to her, maybe they could negotiate the terms of an agreement, if these two years at the Hospital still held any meaning for him. But, if she called him, she would be giving him their location, and their chances of survival would slip through their fingers. But if Ran was what he wanted, if she could spare Shinichi of all the suffering, of carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders as he had done with Conan… She was alive today because he had protected her in any way he could, and he sacrificed his happiness just to keep her safe.

She owed it to him, right? And, even if she screwed up, Shinichi had promised they were going to be okay, right?

She sighed and braced herself, bringing her phone to her ear after clicking on it.

"Hello. Hiroshi-kun?" she asked nervously. There was no turning back now.

" _Ran-chan! I'm glad to hear your voice! Are you okay? Where are you?_ " said the smooth masculine voice on the other end.

"I'm okay," she exhaled again, gathering her courage to keep up the pretence. "You?"

" _You don't sound okay... Are you feeling ill? Has something happened?_ "

Apparently, she hadn't been that good of a liar. An uncomfortable silence ensued, and she was lost again to her thoughts until his voice pulled her back again to reality.

" _Ran-chan? Do you need something?_ "

"Actually… Can we just drop the act?" she sighed profusely. "I know who you are and what you're up to, Hiroshi-kun."

" _Oh,_ " he exclaimed. " _Okay, good. I figured you would call at one point or another. You're not a fool. Since my father told me that the traitor had come to the Hospital to see him, I knew we would have to step up our game, but I'm really glad you called. Saves me all that trouble._ "

"You have to end this, please," Ran implored.

" _But the fun has just started! And you have the lead role this time!_ "

That comment did not bode well with Ran and it left her without any strength to keep fighting. Their lives were on the line, and he, as his father apparently did, seemed to think of _this_ as a game. She could yell at him, threaten him, and it wouldn't change a _damn_ thing. She hoped she could touch his heart and convince him that it wasn't worth it. She resorted to begging.

"Then leave Shinichi out of this, please. Wasn't it enough for you to feed him that _damned_ drug and try to kill him multiple times over the past few years?"

" _Aw, you're so brave, Ran-chan. He must be so proud of you,_ " he said sweetly. She couldn't decipher if he was being truthful or making fun of her. " _I promise I won't touch him. Now we only want you._ "

"If I come willingly, will you let him go?"

" _Yes, I promise. But you have to promise too that you won't tell him anything about our little arrangement. You know how he is and how he would react if he knew. Actually, why don't we talk about this like civilized people, to see if we can come to an understanding?_ "

"What do you mean?"

" _You're in Nagano, right? I could swing by with my car tonight if you want. Just send me your coordinates and I will be there at midnight._ "

"Is it really going to be that easy?" she asked quietly, fearfully.

" _Of course! I promise I won't touch a hair on his head. You come with me and that's it._ "

"Okay," she muttered quietly, after exhaling three times to calm her nerves.

He had hung up when she brought her phone down to see the screen, and only one thought was going around in her head. _Have I just sold my soul to the devil?_ Of course, she wouldn't go down without a fight, and that was the purpose of meeting with him and having a one-on-one, but still… Her karate could probably help. But what if she was outnumbered? She could bring the gun they took from the two men at the inn… But, even if she had the gun with her, she wouldn't have the guts to shoot anyone, not even in self-defence. With her karate she could control her movements and the strength she was delivering the blow with, but a gun… A shoot could kill a person, and she didn't want to live with that on her conscience. If she did live to tell the tale afterwards, that is.

And was not telling Shinichi the way to do things? Even if she didn't tell him right away, he would know she was up to something in a flash the moment he would see her face. She couldn't hide something as big as this. She had never been a good actress, in contrast to his Conan. But if not telling him meant he could be safe from them and not go over the same nightmare a second time, she could put up the façade, couldn't she? It would be just for a few hours. She would do anything for him, even lie blatantly to his face, just so that he wouldn't get involved. This time, it was _not necessary_ for him to get involved. She owed it to him, to try and end this without him suffering, to compensate for the two long exhausting years _she_ had put him through.

And without really intending to, she had already made the decision. She was shaking when she sent the coordinates of the fountain they had seen outside the house to Hiroshi-kun. She received a text telling her _Okay_ , and it dawned on her. _No turning back now. We're one step closer_ , she kept chanting in her head. For a fleeting moment, she could almost believe _that_ herself.

She breathed deeply, recovering her bearings. She didn't want to be alone just now, so she went downstairs to find Vermouth talking on the phone with a grin worthy of being feared and Shinichi massaging his temples with his fingers, an expression of boredom present on his features.

"No, you needn't worry, we're fine," Vermouth said offhandedly.

Shinichi looked up at her, and something in his eyes told Ran that _she_ knew exactly who Vermouth was talking to. She went to sit beside him on the sofa and took his hand reassuringly. She couldn't tell who needed comforting the most between the two of them.

"Is it your mother?" Ran whispered to Shinichi, at which he nodded morosely.

"You okay?" he muttered back. It was her turn to assent then.

"Well, no. Hattori-kun cannot help much more, I'm afraid," Vermouth marked a pause to listen to the other end, and Yukiko was speaking so loudly that the two young adults could hear her perfectly well. "Not Mouri-kun, and neither your husband."

" _But I'm sure he could–_ "

"No, let us handle it. I'm the only one who knows how Karasuma acts, how he thinks… The more silent we are with this, the better."

" _And what about Ran-chan? Is she okay with everything? I know she and Shin-chan didn't end on good terms the last time…_ "

"No, but they haven't killed each other yet…" Vermouth said with a little evil smile while directing a sly gaze at the two young adults and at their intertwined hands.

Some note in her voice must have given her away, since now they could hear Yukiko talking as if she were standing in the room with hem, yelling.

" _Oh my god, they're together, aren't they? Ah, I'm so happy! They're going to have the most wonderful children, I just know! Yu-chan, have you heard? Shin-chan has made up with Ran-chan!_ "

"They're not married, Yukiko," Vermouth intervened, trying to put a leash on her happy-go-lucky friend.

" _Yet! If it was for me, they would've been two years ago!_ "

"Well, all in due time, I guess. You should be happy that they're working on their differences now."

" _And I am ecstatic! But I want more! I need more! I've known these two dorks were destined for each other since Shin-chan was four, and I'm elated that they're going to be so happy! Do they know where they stand?_ "

"Tell her that we are currently in hiding, because there is a maniac on the loose that wants us dead. _That_ 's where we're standing," Shinichi deadpanned, sinking his head into his hands.

" _Don't worry, I heard,_ " Yukiko said dejectedly. " _Such a cheerful son of mine._ "

Even if Yukiko was definitely not present in that room, the three of them could perfectly imagine the brow twitching and grimace she would be sporting, which was very similar to Shinichi's.

When they ended the conversation, Shinichi was still waiting for an explanation from Vermouth, but she only smirked.

"It was necessary. She's your mother and she's been worrying these two years. I've been talking to her. And now she was asking about you because you didn't tell her anything before fleeing."

"Still, it was grossly unfair."

[…]

After having lunch, Vermouth decided to drive to Omachi. That conversation with Yukiko had only proven that they were still working things out, and she didn't want to impose on them, even if it was technically her house they were staying in. She didn't want to disturb them. When going out, she used some excuse that did not fool Shinichi nor Ran in the slightest, but the grateful look Shinichi sent her way was everything she needed.

The afternoon, then, found Ran and Shinichi sitting on the sofa, side by side with their shoulders touching. There was something especially beautiful about being able to just relax there, breathe, think, with nothing but the other for company, which only brought contentment to both their expressions. Even though the TV was on, neither of them was paying attention to it.

Ran let her head fall on Shinichi's shoulder with a sigh, and he smiled looping his arm around her. Even if she was aware that they were anything but safe, even if she knew that she would have to say goodbye to this and him, for a fleeting moment she let herself believe that no harm could befall them with him embracing her like that.

"What are you thinking?" Shinichi asked, while he rubbed her arm absentmindedly. He felt her stiffen, but immediately she relaxed against him once more.

"Not much. I'm actively trying not to think too much about anything, honestly," Ran laughed self-deprecatingly, averting his eyes.

"I'm scared too, but I know we will get out of this, so you don't have to worry _too much_ ," he offered a smile to reassure her, but it only made Ran feel more guilty.

"But what if something goes wrong? What if–" she halted, because she truly didn't know how to go on. "What if we have to make sacrifices?"

"We'll just figure it out."

"Thank you, Shinichi," she conceded, snuggling a bit closer into him. "Thank you for being here with me. But I can't help feeling scared. It's just that I don't know to what we're up against, and I guess that's partly because the first time I wasn't there to help you–"

"And that is my fault," Shinichi interrupted her with a firm voice, "but you have to understand that I didn't want you involved then because of the gravity of the situation, not because I didn't trust you."

"I know, I know, I understand that now."

"And there's nothing that I wouldn't do to get you out of this mess too, if I could," he whispered, his voice becoming softer. "But we're stuck, I'm afraid. But still, I'm so glad we're still together."

"I know, but… I'm still scared," she confessed.

Her mind added a quiet _that you will never forgive me for what I am about to do_ , but she could not voice it out since the words were stuck in her throat. It was true. She wasn't actually afraid that they might not make it, for she knew they would, but she was terrified that he would be the angry and hurt one this time and that he would give up on her.

"You don't have to be. You'd be better enjoying this quiet and peaceful time while it lasts!" he joked, making her giggle too.

"I do want to hope that it will be just as quiet and peaceful when we get out of this mess."

"Except for crimes. You know I'm a magnet for those," he admitted with a frown.

"And trouble, in general," Ran added with a resigned smile.

"And you?" he asked hopefully.

Even if he had said it with the sole objective to make her laugh, Ran blushed to the roots of her hair and she couldn't suppress the smile from reaching the corner of her eyes.

"And me," she conceded with a sigh, squeezing his hand.

After a few moments of companionable silence, he put both his arms around her, sending them both to lay on the sofa, her above him, in imitation of the position they were just two days ago. Her arms went around him too, squeezing the air out of his lungs. She finally let go, but not entirely. With her ear and her hand on his chest, she felt and listened to his soothing heartbeat. He began to stroke her hair down her back, and she let herself be lost in that sensation. At some point, her lips brushed his neck, and he moved her up so that he could look into her eyes. Just a heartbeat later, his lips went searching for hers and hers descending on his to share a searing kiss.

On that sofa, the only thing that existed was the other one, and the rest of the world vanished. His lips stroked her so lovingly, so slowly, that she was rendered to a puddle in his arms. Curious fingers were caressing her back, and she couldn't bite back the moan that escaped her mouth when he touched a rather sensitive spot. To have her pressed against him in that way, to be able to share this with her… It also sent shivers running down his spine, and electricity coursed through his body when she ran her tongue along his bottom lip and he parted for her. He wrapped his arms further around her, pulling her even closer. At some moments they tried to catch their breaths, to only return with a vengeance.

Wavering from passionate to sweet, from soft to ardent, his kisses struck a chord deep inside of her that made her shiver. Slowly, tenderly, his kisses were breaking her heart, because she felt that she was irrevocably saying goodbye. She couldn't suppress a sob.

"Are you crying?" he asked with concern, separating from her to look at her face.

"No!" Ran answered a little more forceful than intended. With a little smile tugging at his lips, not having fooled him, she finally caved. "Yes… I don't know what came over me, I'm sorry," she laughed, drying her rebel tears on her sleeve.

Shinichi wrapped his arms around her once again, whispering a few encouraging words to soothe her. Nonetheless, he kissed her again, conveying in that kiss everything he wouldn't be able to put into words. She responded wholeheartedly, desperately wishing in her heart that this wasn't really a goodbye, although she didn't have a clue as to how the conversation with Hiroshi-kun would go. She couldn't fathom imagining a life without Shinichi, not after getting him back just the day before.

He always kept it sweet, even if her body was demanding a little bit more. And thus, stealing kisses and glances, the afternoon was gone.

[…]

When two hungry stomachs began protesting, Shinichi and Ran knew that they could not stay on that sofa anymore. They bantered and teased back and forth playfully while preparing the meal, which helped to ease Ran's mind a little bit. Vermouth entered through the kitchen door at some point, and together they finished the last touches to their supper.

Even if the atmosphere was light and the small talk lessened her anxiety, Ran couldn't help directing worried glances to the clock ticking on the wall of the dining room. Shinichi noticed it, but he didn't want to draw attention to it and ask her about it in the open.

With Vermouth already in her own room, Shinichi waited until he and Ran were saying goodnight at the door of his own to catch her wrist, inviting her in.

"Something's bothering you."

Somehow he managed to get it out as a statement, not a question, and some note in his voice made her know that he would not be fooled a second time.

"I guess," Ran sighed, unable to look at somewhere other than her feet in fear he might suspect what she was up to, "the situation has caught up to me. With Sharon being here with us, it just seems like it's more serious than we anticipated. I mean, when she wasn't here, we could just have been hanging out as friends or whatever, but with her here... It makes it all the more tangible…"

Shinichi did not respond. Instead, he locked her eyes with a grave face. Ran was aware that Shinichi knew she was not being entirely truthful, and he told her so with his gaze but she refused to back down. He sighed dejectedly, apparently not wanting to initiate an argument with her.

"It will be over soon, you'll see," he smiled at her, sadly, placing his hands on her shoulders. "We'll go back to Tokyo and we'll investigate together. Just promise me you won't do anything reckless. I couldn't bear to–"

"It will be over soon," she repeated, trying to reassure him.

Her arms wrapped around his waist on their own accord, and he returned the embrace after a second of hesitation. Not having a watch or a clock in close vicinity, Ran asked him what time it was, and they separated for a moment to look at his wristwatch. 9:45 pm.

With a loving kiss, she separated herself from him and muttered a soft _goodnight_ while going out the door.

Once in her room, she sat on the bed and tried to imagine what Hiroshi-kun would want and different scenarios and how she could overcome him, and it was purely lucky that a crazy idea struck her. Hurriedly, she scribbled a note for Shinichi with just a few words, so that he could know what to do when he woke up and she was gone. Ran waited there until it was almost midnight, and then she returned to Shinichi's room to retrieve an item of Shinichi's: his wristwatch.

Sitting innocently at his bedside table, she tiptoed until she could grab it as silently as she could. However, Shinichi stirred.

"Um…" he sighed, rubbing his eyes. "Ran? Are you okay?"

"Yes!" she replied a tad too quickly. "I'm just–"

"What are you up to?" Shinichi asked, becoming angrier by the second.

"Please, forgive me Shinichi," she whispered.

A moment later, Shinichi lay asleep on his bed, stunned by his own stun watch. Ran didn't have the courage to look back at him when she went out the door.

* * *

Ran is a bad, so bad in this fic, but I'm tired of her waiting on the sidelines so I knew that she had to have some action in this one. In her defence, bear in mind that she has had to do things her own way and on her own the two years previous to this story, and that Hiroshi-kun wanted her to go alone to meet him and not tell Shinichi anything, so… What can Shinichi do with such a stubborn girlfriend?

Anywhoo, thank you again for all the support. I wouldn't have found the time and will to continue this without you, so I'm indebted to you all. I can't promise that updates will be as quick as they were with the first chapters of this fic, but I'll try to make them shorter than this one. Please, look forward to the beginning of the end! :) Btw, Conan is back with an exciting Kid-Hattori case! Yay Aoyama!

With love,

DCSR392.


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